When the Wedding Bells Ring
by x Ruby Dust x
Summary: Sequel to 'When the Camera's...' Acelynn tries to manage John and his career as best she can - while planning their wedding at the same time. Being thrown back in the spotlight may be a bit too much drama for her to handle. CenaOC Rated T for sex and lang
1. Chapter 1

**hello all and welcome to another splendid addition to my WWE fanfics! this is a sequel, but reading my first story isn't required for understanding, although it is highly recommended. now, please keep your hands, feet, and other appendages you wish to remain in place inside the vehicle at all times and enjoy the ride. i know i will!**

**Ruby Dust**

When the Wedding Bells Ring

Chapter One

I was late. Not _I-showered-too-long-then-got-hopelessly-stuck-in-traffic _late. More like _I'm-gunna-sue-the-ever-loving-pants-off-that-goddam-condom-company _late. A bit brash, I admit, but I was already so aggravated I could put a hole through the wall. I didn't need this. Not now. Not in the middle of planning my wedding.

I got that news early in the morning, remembering that it had been twenty-eight days since my last visit from my uncle T.O.M. (see footnote), give or take a day. Thank God JC hadn't been there to see my meltdown, because he would surely have passed out. No, it was Monday, we all know Monday's mean a show. I will state once again, THANK GOD!

It took a couple hours for the initial shock to subside, then I decided I would wait a couple days before I made any sort of decision about anything. I would let myself relax for a couple more days, then I would worry about it. Until then I would continue calling caterers, going to dress fittings, and making the other necessary preparations one needs to take to have the ultimate wedding. Let's hope.

oOoOoOo

The phone rang about four times before I picked it up. Well, four times before I even had any thoughts of picking it up. Forcing the eyelid of my right eye open, and burying the other deeper in my pillow, I searched the dark room for the flashing red light from the alarm clock. It blinked back at me, blinding me for a moment until I could get a clear read out.

12 am.

I was going to kill whoever was on the other end of that phone. If only I could develop telekinetic powers within the next several seconds. Damn.

It continued it's shrill ring until my fist found the corner of the receiver and knocked it from it's base. On the other end, a high booming voice repeated mine over and over again. It continued to call for me until I pushed the covers aside, and nearly fell out of bed to find it. "Whoever this is, it better be good, jack off!"

"Acelynn?" It was Linda McMahon.

_Shit!_

"Mrs. McMahon, I'm sorry about that...I was just...and then you...you... shit..." I mumbled that last part.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Sorry. Is there something you wanted?" _Was she aware of what time it was?_

"I was hoping to catch you. It's not too late is it? Listen, John left tonight before I could get his new contract to him. I was wondering if I could fax it over now? I'd like to get it up and running ASAP." I was speechless for a moment. I'm not sure if it was the sleep deprivation or the curiosity that flooded my brain when I heard that he was getting a new contract. "Acelynn?"

"Uh...Oh! Sorry! I just wasn't aware that his other one expired."

"It hadn't...I'm sorry Acelynn but I have to be going. Someone is calling on my other line. I just wanted to let you know that his signature is needed along with yours on the last page and he should double check it to make sure everything is in order. Bah-Bye now, dear."

Click.

Dial tone.

_My signature? _This day seemed to be never-ending. Feeling that it was absolutely too late to get back to bed, I returned the phone to it's cradle and made my way out onto the landing. Mr. Chuckles (or Chuckie, for short) the puppy JC had bought me for my birthday, nipped at my heels as I made my way down the stairs, tripping over his own ears and clearly telling me that I wasn't supposed to be up this time of night. I picked him up, cradling his small frame in my arms, as I flopped down on the couch and pulled a blanket around my legs. "Daddy fucked up somehow, Chuckers." I yawned, flipping on some late show that I had never heard of before.

Then the nausea hit me. _Daddy, _I silently whispered to myself. Shaking my head from the thought, I placed Mr. Chuckles aside and ran for the nearest phone. If I wasn't going to sleep, neither was my best friend. I mechanically dialed her number, like I had several times in the past two days, and waited for her to pick up. A groggy, "hellllooooo," sounded from the other end after just two rings.

"Got a minute?"

"What time is it?"

"A little after midnight." I'd spare her the details since I had been so obviously upset when I was first woken. _Why the hell was Linda calling at such an ungodly hour anyhow,... _I, once again, shook the thoughts from my head. "I really need to talk to you, Melanie." I could just picture her now. Her brown hair tangled and mussed, thrown every which-way across her pillow. Her hazel eyes shining in the dark like a cat's, squinting with the rage of a bear woken from hibernation. I knew she wouldn't be happy with me, but I needed to talk to her.

"Is it important?"

I nodded, then in a moment of pure idiocy realized that she couldn't see me. I could have slapped myself. "Yes."

"On a scale of one to ten."

"Come on!"

"Okay, okay..." She groaned. "Isn't John home yet?"

"Who?" Yet again another pure idiotic moment due to my rising hysteria. "No, he's not getting a flight till tomorrow."

"So what is it that you couldn't wait until morning?" Her voice was calming down now that she was waking up more.

Then the lock to the front door clicked and Mr. Chuckles started jumping up and down as if he had eaten some magical jumping beans. The only time he jumped at the door was when his master (since he really didn't like me all too well...) came home.

"Oh Jeez!" I also screamed some obscenities into the phone. Melanie laughed. She was always the one to laugh. She was a glass-half-full type of person, and ever a hopeless optimist. Redundant, but necessary. "Tomorrow morning, the coffee house on the corner." I instructed before slamming the phone back into it's cradle and hightailing it for the stairs. I don't know what I'd do if I had to face him right now. Guess I was going to find out.

The door creaked open and JC poked his head through the threshold, dragging two duffel bags behind him. He pushed the door open the rest of the way with his butt and hoisted the duffels onto his shoulders. I noticed , from the top of the stairs, he had been working out. Pursing my lips to keep from licking them in pleasure, I turned to the last step. The cliche "creaky one". Trying not to put my full weight on it, so he wouldn't notice me, I hopped over it, only to discover that the step to the landing had become a "creaky" step as well. JC's head popped up, but I ran the rest of the way to the bedroom to be avoided.

* * *

"Uncle T.O.M." Time Of the Month 


	2. Chapter 2

**chapter two is done. i'd just like to add some thank yous here before we proceed. A HUGE thank you to cenagirl 5421 and gurl42069. they are the creators of Melanie and Christina, who i chose as Ace's bestfriends. we delve into their characters in this chapter, and i hope i did them justice. thanks again girls.**

**now, onto chapter two. like i said, just some character introductions so nothing really exciting is going on here. hope you enjoy anyway.**

**Ruby**

Chapter Two

I dipped my finger in the icy cup of my Cappuccino Chip I.C. that my waitress has ever so rudely slammed in front of me. She was a wrestling fan whose favorite diva was Michelle McCool, so I can understand why she hated me. Still, in the back of my mind I was plotting ways to get her fired. I wouldn't do that, but I could think about it.

Christina and Melanie entered the quant little coffee shop at the same time. They stood at the counter, not noticing me sitting in the corner with the bad lighting, and placed their orders. I wasn't immediately ready to talk to them, so I took a moment to observe.

Christina, who we called Tina, was looking especially perky this morning. Probably because she hadn't been the one I had woken up at midnight the night before. She was wearing this swishy little sundress that hugged her petite curves and moved in unison with her tiny body. The white frame of the dress and the yellow sunflowers sprayed over it made her creamy, carmel skin glow. As she grabbed her steaming cup of coffee from the rude waitress, her designer black rimmed glasses slid down to the middle of her nose, giving just enough of an angle for her brown eyes to shine. Her dark brown hair, streaked with her new "café au lait" highlights that she was very proud of, dangled just short of the middle of her back and flipped at the ends. Tina always made it a habit to look good, especially for her various numbers of boy toys. This week's edition: Randy Orton. A wrestler that I had introduced her too. Let's just say that he's lasted longer than her others, and she owed me.

Melanie, on the other hand, wasn't looking quite as chipper, although she too decided that she should wear something to let her long legs roam while still being comfortable. Her brown hair was pulled back, the ends hanging loosely around her shoulders and the collar of her track jacket. Her jacket was zipped, which meant she was probably just wearing tee underneath. She pulled the jacket together with a jean skirt and a brand new pair of Nike's I had bought her for her birthday. I wanted to hook her up too, but as out-going and blunt as she is, she deemed herself too shy and opted for the shoes. Hell, the shoes were probably better than a guy anyway.

I will say that when they finally did notice me, I felt a mess in my ripped Jeans and old hoodie. Although, I guess that's okay considering the circumstances.

My finger found it's way back into my I.C. for another moment while they sat down. I licked the froth from it's tip and proceeded to fold my hands in my lap. "Hey girls." It was lame, but that's all I felt I could really say in a greeting.

Melanie sat next to me while Tina took the seat across the table. Both followed my body language but carried it out in a more confident manner. "What's going on that you had to wake me up last night?" Straight and to the point. That's Mel for ya.

"I think..." Deep Breath "I think I might be..._pregnant_..."

There was a shallow sigh and a long pause from both of them. "What did you tell John?" Again, that's Melanie for you.

"I didn't tell him anything. I even woke up extra early this morning so I wouldn't have to make idle conversation over breakfast."

Tina looked around the room for a second like she was making sure we weren't being overheard. Not like anyone would care. Well, rude waitress maybe, but that's because she's used to getting all the drama some potato-brained Barbie wannabes come in here raving about. Yeah, we come to this coffee shop a lot. "How do you know? Did you take a test?"

"No. I guess I'm afraid to. I mean, what if I am?"

"Then how do you know?"

"I'm late."

"How late?"

"Two days." The words slipped out of my mouth like a gumball sliding out from a gum dispenser.

Tina made a "tch" sound with her mouth and leaned back in her chair. "Sweetie, that's nothing. That's not even late. Just delayed. Give it five more days _then_ start to worry."

Melanie took a long sip of her coffee and leaned back over the table, her expression telling me that she was pretty pissed I was flipping over something that seemed like nothing. Normally it was amuse her, but not when it disturbs her beauty rest. "I thought you and John wanted to have kids, anyhow."

I shook off the question, choosing not the answer. We had wanted kids. In the future. The distant future. Not in the middle of planning our wedding, and not when his work schedule was so hectic. Tina put on a sincere smile and let her protective layer show. "Tell you what. We'll go to the drug store and buy you an EPT right after this. You can take it or not, doesn't matter. But whatever you decided to do, you'll have it and you'll know. Sound good, Ace?"

I nodded, now feeling kind of stupid that I had put them, and myself, through this emotional distress. "Sounds really good." Then I remember what had triggered it all. "Tina, have you seen Randy in a while? Or talked to him?"

"I'm supposed to see him this afternoon. He's staying in Boston for a couple days so we can catch up. Why?" In her eyes, I could see the statement "long distance relationships are so hard" being conveyed along with the stress in her voice. She must really like this one.

"Because when I called Mel last night, it was because I got this call from Linda McMahon. She told me that JC was getting a new contract and that I had to sign it, too. But, and here's why it's kind of freaking me out, his old contract never expired." I started nervously outlining the hole in my jeans with my finger.

"Did you ask him about it?"

"No, obviously." Melanie uttered with a sigh. "But that's not the point. The point is: if it isn't important, and since it requires _her_ signature, why hasn't he told her about it. After all, even if it is a big deal, she's about to be his wife. He should have said something."

"Thank you!" I was glad that somebody was finally getting it. Plus I wasn't looking like such an idiot anymore.

"What if he just forgot?" Christina always tried to present both sides of the story. "I still don't see why you don't just ask. I mean, you don't want to tell him about how you possibly might be giving him a baby, yet you're freaking out that he isn't telling you something."

"You're right... I guess. That doesn't mean I'm going to tell him yet, though."


	3. Chapter 3

**a spur of the moment decision made me add a small role which goes to the character of Lexa, a colorful girl created in the mind of one Hello-mrs.-Rita. again, i hope i did her justice. and on with the story! R&R**

**Ruby**

Chapter Three

JC hadn't seen me all day. Truthfully, I was making it a point to avoid him, as childish as it may sound. Still... it was 5 o'clock and I knew where he would be. A talk was inevitable, therefore I would have to grow some proverbial balls, hypothetically of course, and go find him. Huh. The things one does for love. Shit.

Anyway, I put aside my personal icky feelings and drove to his get-a-way spot. Seeing as how he was probably avoiding me as much as I was avoiding him - after all, he hadn't even attempted to call me all day - I went to this cute little pub he had fallen in love with around the time we had moved into our new home. Our "married" home, as he called it. The pub was named "The Rose's Whistle", after the owner's late wife, and JC had easily learned to make that his second home. Why he had loved it so much was simple. The hot bartender that seemed to return his thoughts of attractiveness. I was never worried, though. I mean this girl was stunning, but she was interested in a certain someone else in the WWE. Funny how most people around here are? Maybe we should stop having so many BBQ's. Hmm... a thought to ponder.

Like I was saying. Alexandrea Davis, in all her 5"7", blue eyed, blonde haired (with the cutest purple dip-dye) glory had her sights set on a certain Matt Hardy. This after I had become good friends with his brother after our now infamous story of him and me on a plane. Recap: I hid under a blanket. Let the laughs out now, people.

_The Rose's Whistle _wasn't exactly full, but it was only 5 o'clock. Give it another hour and this place would be swarming, which is when JC would make his exit.

When I slid the door open and walked through the dimly lighted hallway to the top of the stairs, I saw Alexandrea leaning over the bar. She was in her usual attire of an AC/DC tee shirt, tight - yet precisely ripped - jeans, and a pair of brown valor high-tops. Yep. I was totally secure in my relationship around this woman. I mean, a man can be friends with a 27-year-old ex-Hawaiian bounty hunter turned bartender.

Okay, maybe I was a little jealous.

JC quickly cleared that up, though, when he saw me at the top of the stairs. He met me at the bottom and, very subtly, gave me a deep kiss that made me pull away from him a little. I didn't want to, but the curiosity was killing me at this point. He finally got the hint and, without saying a word, let me to return to his point on his stool. I sat next to him, laying my purse in my lap. The EPT Tina had bought me poked it's box out towards the zippers of my bag, almost urging me to take it. Later.

I shoved the box into the deepest, darkest regions of the Burberry where it wouldn't see daylight until I exhumed it from it's prison sometime later that night. Or maybe later than that.

JC placed a hand in my lap, running his fingers up and down my thigh which was tightly wrapped in my old jeans. Sure, they made my ass look amazing, but was he really attracted to me in what I was wearing? That just shows poor taste because I hadn't even bothered to make myself up this morning. Not even lip gloss. Or maybe he was showing me that I had no reason to be jealous.

Hmm...

He broke my concentration with his beautiful voice. "Lexa was just telling me that her aunt Meg is coming to visit."

I nodded, clearly out of touch about Lexa's life. Aunt Meg? I had no clue. Lexa saw this and hurriedly covered my bases. "She's the one I lived with when I bartended in Key West." Again, I nodded. Key West? The girl really liked warm climates. What the hell was she doing in Boston.

Now, don't get me wrong. Alexandrea was a sweet girl and a very interesting person. To an extent, I loved her. Her spontaneous and adrenaline junkie attributes were my favorite parts. She even invited me sky diving once, but I had to decline. At that point, I had barely known her. As I barely know her now. Maybe I should make more of an attempt to get to know JC's friends before the wedding? I learn more and more about myself every day!

And here is a moment I would take to laugh about myself.

I turned to JC, my concentration full on focus once more. "I think we need to talk."

"Sure. But can I go to the bathroom first? Lexa and I have been doing flaming shooters for a while and I really need to pee." His bluntness, bad posture, and the large amount of shot glasses that I have neglected to notice before him explained that his wondering hand was just the effect of an afternoon drinking session.

Again I laugh to myself.

JC slightly stumbled as he rose from his stool and entered the mens' bathroom. Lexa started clearing the bar as the 5 o'clock rush started filing in. "Lexa, do you mind if I ask you a question?" I would have to do this quick. Before JC came from the bathroom.

"If you don't mind me cleaning up a bit at the same time."

I shook my head as she walked back into the kitchen, then reemerged several moments later. "Did John ever happen to mention a new contract while he was here?"

She expertly placed eight shot glasses in one hand and the rest in the other while shaking her head. I noticed her mouth curl with the same curiosity I had. The lip curl was becoming of her. Shit. "Nope, can't say that I have. Why?"

JC made his way from the bathroom. "No reason. I was just wondering."

Sitting down on his stool, he wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me a bit closer. Yes, he was seriously drunk. "Wondering what?"

"Uh...just what she was doing on the Fourth of July. You know, for the BBQ we're having. Matt's going to be there, so I figured..." Lexa nodded, understanding that she really had just been invited and that it wasn't just an excuse. Plus, Matt was going to be there.

Thinking that it would be better if we didn't fight when he was drunk, I helped him off his stool and led him to my car where we drove home in silence. Mostly just because he fell asleep on the way home. "Damn bastard." I couldn't help but cuss him out. I was ready to talk. After almost a whole day of wallowing and I was ready. But no! He had to go and get drunk!

Oh well. I guess it would be better if I took the EPT first. That way I would know for sure and could decide whether I had anything to tell him or not.


	4. Chapter 4

**long time no write. it took me FOREVER to spew out this chapter, so i hope it's not as crappy as i'm thinkin. anyhoo... the real plot begins after this. enjoy and REVIEW! puh-leeeezzzzz!**

**Ruby**

Chapter Four 

I had woken up in the middle of the night that night with horrible stomach pains. Not normal stomach pains, though. Cramps. God, how glad I was that I had such an obvious warning indicator that 'Aunt Flo' was about to visit. I still was going to take the test, though. You know, just as a precaution.

Wiggling out of JC's grip and out from under the covers, I found myself confidently sauntering to the bathroom, the cold floor making my feet move faster. Halfway there, I remembered something that Linda had said to me on the phone that first night. She had faxed JC's new contract over ASAP. Had JC been in the office yet? I was almost sure that he hadn't. So, instead of my intended mission to the bathroom, I made a b-line down the stairs, through the kitchen, living room, and dining room, and into the small back room that we had remolded to our own unique tastes since we spend most of our time in there anyway.

There it was, the white paper glistening in the moonlight like it was taunting me. My hand reached out for it, but then I second guested myself. What if this was all over nothing? What if it was just some new insurance policy or something? The spouse needs to sign in case of an accident... or death... Now I was just starting to freak myself out. Shaking the nerves off, my hand groped the paper - which I realized was several papers with very small print - and started leafing through them. On the last page, there was a place for my signature.

"What do you have there?"

I whipped around, shoving the papers behind my back and putting on my most innocent smile. "Nothing." I was such a God awful liar. "What are you doing up?"

"I should be asking you since you woke me up. Now, I think I've just caught you with your hand in the cookie jar, so what's going on?" He folded his arms across his chest, his muscles rippling as he leaned against the doorframe. Oh how he just made me drool sometimes.

"Nothing, really... I just remembered that our wedding planner sent some pictures of venues over for us to look at. I wanted to look through them so I could suggest one to you. You know, that way I get what I want."

He let out a small laugh, the lack of sleep almost un-phasing him. He yawned as he walked over and planted a kiss on my forehead, some alcohol still lingering on his breath. He delayed his departure with the kiss, then turned to go back to bed. Mentally throwing my hands in the air, I gave into my curiosity and splurted out the words that I didn't really want to say. "This is ridiculous!"

His smile dissipated as his neck wrenched around. "What?"

"Look, I know that there's something you're not telling me. And, frankly, I'm getting pretty pissed that you're not. Mostly because," My arms crossed, the papers poking out from somewhere near my elbow, "if it was something good I think you would have told. Which means it's bad. Which makes me worry. Which makes me kind of freak out more than I already am. And you know what a space case I am in the first place. Which makes me pissed. Especially with the added stress of what_ I_ haven't told _you_..." Oops. That kind of just slipped out with my verbal diarrhea.

"What?" Lines were beginning to form across his forehead as his hands firmly grasped his hips. It was like I could read his mind, seeing what he wanted to say in his eyes. _What the hell is going on?!_

Well, I wish I knew. "Okay. That's not really relevant anymore, but we still we to talk. And I suggest we do it before my head explodes."

So we were about to talk. For the first hour, we kind of just sat and stared at each other. I was mad at him and he was mad at me, but the reasons were unknown to either of us. Mostly I was mad because he was keeping something from me. Someone who was soon to be his wife. I think he was upset for the same reason.

I could see that he was no where near about to start, since he seemed to genuinely not know what I was talking about. I took the deep breath, then took the plunge. "I'm going to ask you something, and I want the whole truth, okay?" He nodded with a scowl setting across his face. Just as I was about to show him, I noticed that the papers were in my hands, in his plain view, and I was wringing them so tight, the tip of a pen couldn't fit inside. "This is a contract. A WWE contract. Yours." I always seemed to lose my ability to form complete sentences when we were in situations like this. Shaking it off, I continued, "Linda McMahon called me about two days ago. It was right after Monday's show. She told me that she's wants it back ASAP, and you need to sign it. But here's the thing, your old contract isn't expired and_ I_ need to sign it, too. And that makes me a little suspicious about the whole thing. Since when do I have to sign your contracts? We're not even married yet." I had held my breath through the entire thing. Letting out a long sigh then inhaling again, I felt my shoulders loosening. "So what's going on?"

His face softened as one leg raised from the floor and crossed his knee at the ankle. His arms rested on the back of the couch and his head lolled backwards, like he was thinking. "You don't have to sign my contracts. This one's different."

"How?"

"Well...I ran into a little problem with scheduling and Vince offered to fix it for me. Although, now that I think about it, it really wasn't that great of an idea."

"Enlighten me."

So, the talking finally commenced. He told me all about his little "mixup", as he referred to it. The countdown to the wedding had begun almost a month ago, and I had only given him one specific task. Get days off for the honeymoon. That's it. All he had to do was make sure he had his schedule clear. Seemed simple, right? Wrong. Somehow, he had forgotten to say anything until two weeks ago. The writer's had all the storyline's figured out for next month, and now they were pissed because they needed to be changed. Which brings us to the new contract. His hands lingered in his lap, his thumbs twiddling as a bead of nervous sweat made it's way down his cheek. JC had every reason to be nervous. I was a bride that was on a rampage at this point.

"So they had to change things around a bit. They weren't too pleased about that, and Mr. McMahon wasn't either. He basically gave me an ultimatum. Have you come back for a week or two, and I get my time off."

"Why me?"

"He said you're a hell cat. Drama wherever you go." He then continued to mumble something I couldn't really understand, but sounded like, _It's not all the far from the truth._

I stood, all my weight positioned on my hips as well as my hands. "Don't you understand that I can't wrestle? Doesn't he understand? I'm never going to have full function of my knee back, which puts me at a disadvantage. If something happens now...I don't even want to think about what I'm going to have to go through." I was working myself up into tears, pacing as I shuffled my feet against the cold floor.

He gripped my shoulders firmly to stop my jittery tendency. "I told him that. You'd be coming back as a manager, nothing more nothing less." His eyes caught my gaze as he wiped away a tear with his thumb. "I never want to see you in that kind of pain again. I promise I won't let anything happen."

My hand slapped his arm away. "If only you would have used that brain of yours."

He knew I was kidding, but my tone masked the joke. "If I used my brain, I could be the next Albert Einstein. Only smarter." A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips, finally erupting into full blown laughter. "And you had something to tell me?"

I waved him off, "It was nothing. Well, not anymore. I blew a situation out of proportion is all."


	5. Chapter 5

_hey all! sorry you haven't heard from me in so long. let's just say i haven't been doing that great in geometry. damn circles._

_anyhoo... now school's over so i'll hopefully have more time to write. i actually started another WWE fanfic if you'd like to read. and please read. i think it's way better than anything i've done with WWE so far._

_here's the info:_

_It's called **And Now You're Dead...**_

_it's a suspense/romance fic about Randy Orton, his exfiancee Peyton, her circle of friends (Trish, Torrie, and Candice) and her ex best friend who she caught with Randy one night (Mickie). Peyton deals with the canceled wedding, hating Randy all the while, and continues on with her career as a WWE diva. One night, Vince calls a meeting to discuss some things with the superstars and there's a black out. The arena has to be locked down because of safety measures, and they're all stuck inside. Someone find a gun and uses it to take out all their fruustrations, and its one of their own._

_the real question isn't "who done it". it's can they (or you, reading) find out before they're all gone?_

_check it out. please. and review. you all know how i love reviews._

_Ruby_

Chapter Five

The next week - now officially only 5 weeks until the wedding - brought a call from Vince McMahon, explaining what exactly he wanted to happen.

"Now just listen, Ace. We are well aware that you cant wrestle anymore, but can you honestly tell me that you don't want to come back to the WWE?" His voice was just as smug as ever. Really, I always wondered just how he could be so cynical and devious in real life as he was on television.

"Vince, do you really want me to answer that?"

"You already signed the contract. There's nothing you really can say anymore." He said it liked he _owned_ me, although I knew what he was implying. "I've talked to Walter and the boys. I want coverage on this wedding. It's good publicity, see."

"What kind of coverage?"

"I've got you and Cena as the cover on the next issue of WWE magazine. After your debut this Monday, I want the happy couple to sit down and talk to some of our reporters. We'll snap some pictures and you're done. The audience _is_ interested in this, you know?"

It was true. JC had said some things about me a couple times on air and the crowd seemed to actually care about the champ and his "15 minute-r". "Okay, so what about the show?"

"You make some appearances. Shmooze over the crowd. Just stand at ringside. Not physical contact needed, whatsoever. Although, we might have some behind-the-scenes things with and the champ." He didn't wait for me to comply before he hung up.

Chuckie danced around my feet, nipping at my ankles and playfully growling whenever I made the motion of walking. Finally, being sick and tired of all the noise he was making - I picked him up and plopped him on the couch next to me. JC came running down the stairs, a duffel in his right hand and his keys in his other. Quickly placing a 'see you later' kiss on my cheek - mumbling something about the gym - and rushing out the door, I couldn't help but think that there was just something wrong about this. Deep down, the drama queen in me was screaming this was the wrong road to take.

oOoOoOo

I sat on the plane for the first time in a year. A year. Ever since I left the WWE, I've never really had a desire to travel. Finding myself on a airplane again, I started to feel the rush again, and it felt good. Sort of. There was still that feeling that I had that this just wasn't the right thing to do.

I had invited Tina to come with me, being that she hadn't seen Randy in a long while, and she gladly excepted. Her presence was making me feel a little better, but not much.

She was sitting next to me, headphones over her ears. Her head was bobbing back and forth with the music, her eyes closed and her imagination running. If there was anything I could bet on my friends, it's that they had very active imaginations. Just like me. I could picture it now, her envisioning Randy waiting for her at the airport. She would run towards him and kiss him, his arms encircling her. The adventure of dating.

As JC sat down next to me, putting a comforting had on my knee, I kind of missed the whole dating thing. There was always the anticipation of not knowing when I was going to see him again, those playful little things I used to do to make sure I turned him on. Then there was how much work I had to go through to hide my crazies. Now, I had no idea what I was getting into.

He looked at me, smiling from ear to ear. "I miss traveling with you," he laughed.

I shook my head slightly, to shake myself from my trace-like thoughts and gave him a weak smile back. "Huh?"

He continued to laugh, "I know that face. What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" His thumb grazed my cheek.

"Nothing... something..." I just didn't know how to tell him that I think_ I _was getting cold feet. Wasn't that the man's thing? "Do you still think I'm sexy?" I asked in a whisper, hoping the older people around me wouldn't hear.

JC took his hand back and looked back towards the end of the plane. I think he was looking out for the older folks, too. "Sweetie, if I knew you weren't such a germophobe, I probably drag you back to that bathroom and have my way with you in there."

As gross as that sounded, it made me smile. Just like that, the cold feet were gone. "I love you." I said louder, this time so everyone could hear. Then I kissed him.

Tina plucked the headphone from her ears, "Hey, hey you two! Save it for the honeymoon. Jeez..."

oOoOoOo

Walking out to the ring that night, my bad feeling started to go away. Seeing the spectacle again and hearing all the noise, I realized Vince was right. I really did want to come back. And now, after everything was gone and the illusion faded again, I found myself thinking about coming back permanently. As a manager, of course.

JC came down to the ring, like he had a little over a year ago. This time was happy though, my career was staring again. Not like last time. In his hand was a bunch of yellow papers stapled together. "You know what yellow means..." I kidded, opening the ropes for him," That is the script right?"

He nodded, but his expression was puzzling. "Read it."

That's the thing about WWE scripts. They change frequently. They aren't even scripts, really. More like guidelines. They tell you what you're supposed to do, who's supposed to win, but not what to say. Pink papers meant a death. White meant a championship shot. Blue was just a normal week. And yellow meant a backstage romance.

The title page read, "John Cena: WWE Champion/ Acelynn Cena". Apparently they weren't waiting for me to get married to change my name, but I really didn't mind all too much. The next two pages were just backstage instructions. JC and I in our locker room, me nagging him about a caterer, stupid things like that. But page three was what his expression was emanating.

"YOU KISS CANDICE!?" I threw the papers down to the canvas. "No! I realize it's all about work...but... am I the only one freaking out here?"

"No. I talked to Vince. Apparently _she_ kisses _me_. Which is supposed to make it okay, I guess."

The bad feeling was coming back. "This is exactly why I hate Vince McMahon. Bastard!"

JC wrapped his arms around before I could start my thrashing. "It's just for work. I'm upset about it, too, but there's nothing we can do now. I'll talk to Candice. We'll make it something small..."

"Small?" Somehow the papers got back into my hands. "It say here that she's supposed to talk you out of marrying me."

"Yeah. In the WWE. Everyone breaks up in the WWE. A single man can't be tied down to one woman for their entire career. This is wrestling we're talking about." He was trying to kid around with me, but it was only making me angrier. "Nothing would ever stop me from marrying you. Understand?"

"This is why I'm such a drama queen."


	6. Chapter 6

**well well well, here we are again. my vacation really healped my writer's block (knock on wood!) so i hope to be writing more. i hope. **

**hope you enjoy this! **

**Ruby**

Chapter Six

The week of the kiss I was a wreck. Candice was supposed to come into our locker room, just walk right in and kiss JC, then start talking about things that he would miss from being "tied down". I'm not sure why, I know it's just acting, but the whole thing made my entire being cringe. I knew if I told JC any of these fears he would just tell me that I was creating - more like looking for - unnecessary drama. Was I? See, the way I see it, my drama was _never _unnecessary. I mean, look at my track record. If I hadn't gotten so fed up on the plane that one time with JC and Michelle, I wouldn't have ever talked to Jeff and realized that I was in love. If I hadn't had that little "talk" with Michelle in the parking lot, I wouldn't have made JC so mad that he realized that the reason he got so mad was because he loved me too. See? Necessary drama. My drama was completely justified and entirely appropriate. To me. Kind of. Sort of. Maybe. Sometimes.

So was it really a bad thing when I, completely coincidently, mind you, ran into Candice when she was on her way into the arena? Okay, so I was a floor away from our locker room and about a hundred feet in the wrong direction. But, I mean, I didn't realize that I was walking towards the parking lot until I got there. Like I said, coincidence.

Anyway, I saw her sitting in her car and decided that I would try to bypass the supposed dreaded drama by just talking to her about my concerns to her. Really, the decision made me feel kind of good about myself.

So, very politely, I knocked on her passenger side window and slipped into the leather seat of her 4-door sedan. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute"

She just blinked at me for a second, a little surprised that I was sitting in her car, but then nodded. "Sure. What's up, hun?"

"You got your script last week right?"

Candice's face began beaming with a broad smile. "Oh, Ace, don't worry about it. I promise it'll be nothing. Promise."

I let out a deep breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding. "You have no idea how much better that makes me feel. I mean, it's just that..." I started, but Candice cut me off by putting her hand in the air.

"Ace, we're friends. I could never do that to you, sweetie. And _you_ don't seem to understand that_ I _understand what's going on. Jealousy is perfectly normal."

What? "Candice... I'm... I'm not exactly..._ jealous_..."

"Oh, sweetie," She shot me a pity look.

"Candice! I'm not jealous. It took me forever to even realize that he was the love of my life and he was with another girl at the time. Now..." But she continued to cut me off.

"Acelynn, I get what you mean. Once a cheater, always a cheater."

What?! "_NO!_" Okay, maybe yelling was not the answer. I slunk back in the seat and ran my hands over my face. Maybe drama was just destined to find me wherever I went. "No, that's not what I meant."

Candice's cellphone began a William Tell overture on the dashboard. "I have to take this, but I'll see you later. Okay? And relax! I have your back, hun." She flipped the phone open, got out of the car, and waited for me to follow suit so she could lock the doors. Then she placed the phone to her ear and walked down the hall, the same blank smile on her face, "Why, _heellllllooooo._"

Then it hit me. The reason for all my concern was crystal clear. I completely trusted JC. I would follow him blindly, no matter what. Candice...not so much. Shit. Shit. Triple shit. And maybe a damn. A completely rational damn.

oOoOoOo

I walked back to our locker room slowly. What the hell had just happened? Seriously? All I wanted was a reassuring chat. That's it! Just a small conversation about how I was uncomfortable with the situation. I wanted to voice my concerns just so she would be aware. Totally healthy, right? Then, out of nowhere, I was a jealous bride with a cheating groom? I admit, sometimes I can be a bit of an emotional basket case and JC did technically cheat on Michelle, but... _Seriously?!_

One thing was certain. I did not create that drama. That shit was looking for me.

Okay, so now I'm thinking that JC doesn't need to know about this. Just like the earlier pregnancy scare, something were just better left in the dark. I'm just looking to conserve the man's sanity here. I hope.

I continued walking at an increasingly slow pace until I reached a metal door with a black and white sign that read: _WWE Champion, John Cena. Acelynn_. across it. The locker room was empty except for a large, plushy sofa, a 42" flatscreen, and a plastic ficus. The bathroom door was jarred open and the smell of a Glade plug-in was flowing from inside. The smell was inviting - reminding me of my Freesia Spirit shampoo - so I decided to take a quick shower to clear my thoughts.

I discarded my, now trademarked, look of my oversized hoodie and ripped jeans. In my birthday suit, I wrapped a terrycloth towel around myself and turned on the shower. Waiting for the water to get warm, I took a seat on the counter of the sink and stretched out my right leg for inspection. A large, pink scar ran from the bottom of thigh and jutted straight down my kneecap, stopping just above the shin. It was all accentuated by three little dots of pink scars from my very first surgery. There was one dot on either side of the line, and a third on the outside of my knee. Rubbing my hand over the raised skin, remembering exactly where every stitch had been, I bent my leg back. I could hear the small 'click' of the mostly plastic and metal fixture now posing as my joint. It was just a little reminder of how my career had ended before it could every really start.

JC came bursting through the door, his chest falling in disappointment when he saw me just sitting there. "Damn! I was hoping to catch you in the shower."

I laughed, "Sorry."

He walked over and planted a kiss on my forehead. His hand quickly covered mine, one still clutching my knee and the other holding my towel closed. I watched his gaze fall to the hand on my knee. "It's ugly," I whispered, drawing his gaze back to my eyes.

He shook his head violently. "No! No, Ace. Nothing about you is ugly."

In that moment, I knew he loved me. When he made those types of comments, I couldn't help but feel tingly just south of my belly button. I laughed again, "You're an idiot."

"Ah!," He moved to kiss me, then lingered for a moment before dropping to one knee and continuing to make his lips dance across my scars. It was cute at first, then just turned sexy as he glided his tongue up my thigh until I couldn't help but shiver. He was about to give me the ultimate form of comfort, but I couldn't help but push him away. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just..." I gripped my towel closed even tighter, "I was just going to take a shower and now..."

He seemed to understand even though I didn't, nodded, and left the bathroom.

oOoOoOo

If I was going to watch their scene live, I was going to have to watch from the hall. Tina came up from somewhere behind me and wrapped a comforting hand around my neck. "Don't worry, huh? It's just acting."

I nodded, really wondering if it was or not. On Candice's part, I mean. "Yeah." It felt good to have her here. It made me think that I had someone to explain my drama to. So I told her about my earlier conversation with the vixen. Then about what had happened in the bathroom. "I don't know, Tina. It would have felt so go to just forget it all and lose myself with him but... I just couldn't bring myself to it."

She nodded as she slipped another supportive arm around my front. "You're feeling vulnerable right now. It's cool. I'm sure he gets it."

JC spotted us standing there and gave me a weak smile, and an even weaker wink. I winked back just as pathetically. "I just love him so much."

"Well what Candice said was completely uncalled for. If I was you, I'd kick her ass." And with such a simple statement, Tina made me laugh. I could always count on Tina for a good laugh.

The microphone guy held up a finger to us, telling us that they were about to start and that we should be quite. I watched as Candice sauntered through the door, her steps long and sure. JC smiled at her, saying hi and making eye contact. She continued her advance on him. First, although he wasn't supposed to, JC back away from her. She kept coming, though, until she was able to place her hands on his chest. I felt a strong urge to scream, but I held it back. Then she wrapped her fingers around the back of his head and guided his mouth towards hers before he could protest.

I closed my eyes, remembering that she had assured that it was going to be a small kiss. _One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Four Mississippi. Five..._ and I opened my eyes to see them still locked together, Candice leaning in closer than comfortable. JC's eyes shot open, looking kind of angry yet not stunned, then nudged her away slightly so it looked like she stepped back naturally. "You know," Candice smiled, continuing like nothing happened, "I just wanted to let you know what you'd be missing once your tied down to the ol' ball and chain."

Cena just stared. I think he was supposed to say something witty back, but he seemed to be at just a loss for words.

Candice took the hint to cut it short, "Good luck in your match tonight, stud." She added a wink, then walked out into the hallway. I just watched her walk by, smiling at me and nodding. "See, hun. That wasn't so bad." But she continued down the hall before I could reply.

I was about to follow her and create some drama of my own - _WELL_ needed drama - but Tina wrapped her unusually strong arms around my waste and held me in place. "Yeah... try explaining_ that_ to John," she snickered. Really, I think she wanted to kick Candice's ass, too, which made me stop fighting.

The microphone guy was getting annoyed that we were still talking while the camera was still on. JC was still standing where Candice had left him, his mouth open. And, dare I say it, I think I saw his lips curl just a bit. I swear, for a split second, it was there. Then, as I blinked in disbelief, it was gone. Had I imagined it? Definitely not.


	7. Chapter 7: POV change

_so here's the skinny..._

_i eralized last night - while i was writing this - that these stories (Ace/Cena fanfics) that i wrote suck. at least i think they do. worst than my other ones, anyway. and i shortly realized why. i hate the way i write First Person POV. I just don't like it, and i don't know why it took me so long to come to that conclusion. So, from here on out, this story is going to be in **Third Person Omniscient POV**. _

_I hope it's better. Or at least a difference._

_Enjoy! and review please. I'd like to hear what you think. Honest opinions only! (...After the morning i've had, the last thing i need is to be patronized...) Luv y'all!_

_Ruby_

Chapter Seven

**(changed POV to 3****rd**** Person Omniscient)**

Acelynn knocked on the wooden doorframe three times before she even poked her head into the room. JC was laying on the bed, his hands over his eyes and his feet dangling off the side. "You okay?"

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "I'm fine. Just a headache, is all."

"Well, I have to talk to you about something." It had been a full hour since the show had ended, and the air between them was still completely rigid and way to formal for Ace's comfort. But what can she do? Letting it all roll off her shoulders, she sat down on the bed and let him lay in her lap while she rubbed his temples. "I was thinking about pushing my plane ticket back and flying Melanie out here for a few days. There's this bridal shop just a few miles from here, and I still need a dress."

He let out a groan of appreciation for easing his headache, then proceeded to gently stroke the side of her thigh with his thumb. "Good. Push mine back, too?"

"No no no. You have so much to do this week. It'll only take a couple days, promise. Maybe even just tomorrow. It depends on how Mel feels after flying."

- - - - - - -

Ace watched as Tina kissed Randy goodbye just before he was about to leave. With all the boyfriends she's ever had, anyone could clearly tell that she was smitten with this one. After all, she had been dating him for more than three months. Her longest relationship yet.

She wrapped herself around him, letting him lift her off the ground, just a couple inches, while he whispered in her ear. She giggled as he put her back on her feet, kissed him one more time, then pouted as he disappeared around the corner. She stood there for a couple seconds, the look in her eyes almost pleading for him to come running back to her. When that didn't happen, she turned back and reentered Ace's hotel room where her best friend had slipped in moments before.

Tina found Acelynn in the living room and placed her petite body next to her on the couch, gloomily resting her head on Ace's shoulder. "I miss him already," she sighed, staring at the door as if he was going to come rushing back now that she had excepted he was gone.

"Oh, please. Sweetie, you don't know the first thing of the emotion."

She took taken aback. Jumping up straight, her back hands flew and firmly planted themselves on her hips and frowned. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ace found herself laughing as she shook her head. She made herself comfortable before continuing, plumping up a pillow behind her head, then waiting for Tina to sit back down again. "Try being engaged to a champion slash movie star. You know, there used to be a time when he was only home for about a total of twelve hours a month. Of course, he let up on that a little when we moved in together. Now, on rare occasions, he comes home for about two days a week. Mostly only one. Then, when they have events and tours in different countries, I don't see him for weeks at a time. Sometimes months." Listening to herself, Ace realized she was sounding completely cynical. "That's that problem with being heavily involved with a superstar. You have to be okay with being alone."

Tina pondered the thought but didn't respond. Giving her time to contemplate what Ace was saying, although she really didn't know what she was getting at either, she walked back into the bedroom and slumped down on the bed. Her clothes had been sprawled out everywhere, given that she was trying to pack earlier. As soon as she had the perfect wedding dress in her hands, Ace was ready to hop the next plane back to Boston to be with her man. After all, seeing Randy and Tina had made her miss JC. She was used to him leaving, but seeing the more innocent version of their relationship in their friends made her miss him more than usual.

Seeing the mass of cotton and jean chaos littering the ground, she sat up and observed the rest of her surroundings. She realized that she had sat down in the exact same spot where she had sat with JC the other night. She could picture his head in her lap, him smiling at her although he was in such agony from his headache. And his eyes. She had noticed lately that his swirling pools of massive blue not only looked at her in the way that they had when they were five, but with something deeper. A longing that made her know just when he was looking at her, when he was thinking about her.

And that's when it hit her. All this time she had been looking for her own problem, her self imposed drama, and here it was. Almost smacking her in the face.

Acelynn wasn't ready to give JC the type of commitment he was giving her.

That's why the whole pregnancy thing had scared her as much as it had. That's why she was so suspicious of his new contract... involving _her_ signature, her input back into the WWE. But she still loved him, of course. That's why the thought of Lexa and Candice had gotten under her skin so much. To put it bluntly, caused her jealousy.

But the real question still remained; is it cold feet? or is it because they thought they had something that they didn't?

All these thoughts floating around in her head made Acelynn break out in a cold sweat. Her hands started to tremble and her eyes started to water. Tears? Maybe. Maybe not.

Tina entered the room and saw Acelynn sitting there, staring off into space with that off ward glance that everyone had come to know her by. "You okay?"

The words echoed in Ace's ears as Tina frowned even deeper at her. She had asked JC the same question, but it wasn't out of concern. It was just the polite thing to do when you see another human being in pain. Tina had a worried look in her eyes as she began to shake her, and Acelynn couldn't help but wonder if she had that same look when she had asked her husband-to-be the same question.

Feeling Tina's hand on her arm, Acelynn knocked herself out of her own head. "Yeah. I was just spacing out. As usual." More like _freaking_ out.

"Good," Tina sighed, regaining her composure and glancing around the room. Ace didn't doubt that she was judging the mess, but she didn't really care. "Melanie called. She just got in her cab and she'll be here in fifteen."

Ace nodded, "She willing to go shopping?"

"I didn't ask, but I think she'll be up to it. After all, we're talking about Mel here." Tina turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks when a question came to mind. "We get to pick out our own bride's maids dresses, right?"

- - - - - - - -

Acelynn had recovered from her freak out quite nicely. When she tried on her wedding dress - a Vera Wang strapless soft A-line gown with draped tulle empire bodice, split skirt, and drop-waist back - she knew that she was ready to marry him. She was ready to spend the rest of her life with JC, and she was willing to overlook the little time they spent together. Instead of being spiteful for it, like she had appeared the other night while describing it to Tina, she would cherish the small moments she got to spend with her husband. And, in the end, she knew he would, too.

The official countdown started, and Acelynn was three weeks away from becoming Mrs. John Cena.

* * *

To see pictures of the dress I'm talking about, go to verawang . com -> on the left side of the screen, click on "bridal" -> click on "Vera Wang Collection" at the bottom of the screen (skinny black box) -> go to dress # 7 


	8. Chapter 8

_Hey everybody! And how was your Wednesday? Good, I hope._

_Enough with the small talk. I had a dream last night... a very, very good dream... and you will hear about that dream later in the story. Which brings me to a "warning" for my more delicate readers. _

**WARNING: Sex chapter. It doesn't come into play until the second part of this chapter, but be forewarned. **

_Okay, that's all I have to say. _

_Tootle-loo!_

_Ruby._

Chapter Eight

_He was standing at the end of the isle, his hands folded. He was alone under a white archway. And he was staring directly at her. She walked towards him, her nose tingling at the smell of fresh lilies that had appeared before her in every direction. The room became more visible the closer she got, people started shooting up out of seats and she became faintly aware that they were laughing with joy as she continued her steady pace. Randy Orton stood next to him as the best man, and his four brothers stood next to him as the ushers. _

_Tina and Melanie stood on the other side. Tina's face was placid, staring at Randy_. _Melanie, however, gawked towards her with her mouth positioned in an "o"._

_Acelynn's eyes darted to the floor, now hearing more and more laughter the closer she got. She looked to her feet, bare. Her legs were bare. Her chest was bare._

_The laughter finally made sense to her as Ace realized she was standing in the middle of the church, butt naked. _

Acelynn sprang up in her bed, something around her chest constricting her to the mattress. She pushed passed it and sat up, brushing spirals of her hair out of her face. She noticed that JC's arm had been around her, holding her down, and she had jerked him awake when she had pushed him off of her. He was staring at her, his eyes half closed but concerned. "Whatsamatter?"

She hugged her knees to her chest, shaking off the ugly feeling of being woken in a such a way. "Bad dream?"

"Naked?"

She nodded, but realized her motion went to waste because his eyes were closed. "Yeah."

He was drifting off to sleep, so she hit him in the arm to wake him up again. "Ow! Bet I was happy, then..."

"Yeah, but your mom wasn't."

He laughed, although kind of annoyed that she was keeping him awake. He really didn't mind, though. It hadn't been the first time in the last week that she had this dream. "What about _your_ mom?"

Now Ace was mad at herself for keeping him awake. "Johnny..."

"I just don't understand why she can't come to the wedding. That's all." He slipped an arm around her once more, pulling her back down the pillows and deeper into his arms. "She is, after all, your mother."

Acelynn let him manipulate her body into the way he liked, until every one of her curves was in the right place on him. "No. She chose to leave me and my dad when I was sixteen to be someone else's mother. Remember?" Her tone was telling him to step off of the subject, and she was even more perturbed when he persisted. "Yes, okay. Yes, she came back. Yes, her and my father are on good terms. Yes, my father was able to forgive her and they have dinner once a week. But I am _NOT_ my father."

"Okay, okay. I just don't want you to do something you're going to regret, is all."

"I'm not going to regret it! And I don't need you telling me that I am." The conversation had not gone where she wanted it to, and ended even further south of there. She shoved out of his arms, out of the bed, and out of the room.

oOoOoOo

JC let the towel around his waist drop to the floor as he stepped into the shower. Water instantly engulfed him in a cascade of tension relief as his shoulders hunched and cheered for the hot beads beating against his skin. This morning had been a disaster. He had no idea where her outburst had come from, and that was an odd feeling to him. He always knew what she was thinking. It had gotten to the point where he thought of the two of them more as one person than two separate ones. But, he had to admit, her anger had induced more spontaneity than he was comfortable with.

Still, with all that ad-libbed anger, he thought he knew why it had happened in the first place. Acelynn was panicking.

"Hey..." JC had heard her open and close the door when she had first walked into the room minutes ago, but he didn't want to pressure her into a conversation until she was sure she was ready. Truthfully, he was glad she was taking her time to speak, seeing as how she had gotten so mad at him before. When Ace was in one of her moods, she was the type of person to hear only what she wanted to hear and turn what seemed to be helpful advice from others into bad criticism. He knew she hadn't gotten angry at him, just at what he had said. Plus, there was the whole panicking thing.

He had talked to Tina. Well, he had talked to Randy - his best friend - who had talked to Tina. She had said that Ace had had a "freak out" a couple weeks ago and tried to play it off as one of her space outs, but she was okay an hour later. JC just figured she was having the same type of episode now. Especially since the wedding was so close. Three days.

He could see where she was coming from. After all, everything was about to change for them, and Ace didn't always take kindly to change. Hell, she had been a mess when they first started dating. She had been even worse after they had gotten engaged. But she had gotten over that change in time. And, as he had come to expect, she could get over this change in time.

Even after she made her presence known, the silence continued for several moments. He realized, as the shower door slide open, that she used that time to strip down to her birthday suit.

She wrapped her arms around him. He could feel her breasts pressing into his back, harder with every inhale and softer with every exhale. Her lips puckered against his shoulder, planting kisses all the way across the width of his back, to the opposite shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He laid his arms over hers, their hands overlapping and locking. "Sorry for what? The way I see it, you did nothing wrong."

"I yelled at you," she sighed, her cheek leaning against his shoulder blade, "then I went to call my mom."

He was surprised, to say the least, but not completely. "And what did she say?"

"I didn't invite her to the wedding, if that's what you mean. I'm not ready for that."

"I know." He paused, waiting to hear her rebuttal to his statement. When she didn't say a word, he continued, "I know you." He could feel the kisses starting again, but he was trying not to. Her touch - especially against his bare flesh - had always given him that instant arousal which made his jeans just a little too tight, but he was trying to avoid that at all costs. He wouldn't, though, if he didn't have to be at that damn autograph signing soon.

Acelynn had other plans, so it seemed. She slipped past him, stepping in between the flowing water and him. She didn't touch him, though. Instead, she backed up towards the tile, her hands gliding across her belly button. Downwards. The hot water made her skin sensitive and pink, beads dripping from all the right spots. She bit her lower lip as he watched her do things that he should have been doing for her. And he lost all concentration and will power.

He had achieved lift off as he stepped closer to her, placed his hands on her hips, and hoisted her up the wall. "I have a half hour," he spoke against her lips.

"That's twenty-five more minutes than I need," she giggled.

The water seemed to heat up a notch as stared into her eyes in that moment. Hotter, harder. But it wasn't the water, it was him. It was her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. Her, waiting for him. Everything blurred as he closed his eyes and found her lips with his, tongues thrusting towards the other's in a rapid fire. The water relieved all his tension, and so did she. Her skin was sleek against him, allowing him to move her in just the right way. The smell of soap lingered in the air, smelling of cotton sheets. It was a pleasant, subtle smell that made his nose tingle. All his senses were heightening. The smell of cotton. The taste of her mouth. The feel of her flesh, so taunt and warm. The sound of their bodies meshing and grinding. The sight of her naked body. It was all completely arousing. The pressure of her body against her was erotic. He buried himself against her, holding her, kissing her neck, touching her in all the right places. She knew just how to move against him, how to make him want more and more and more. She knew how to tease him. Finally, just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, she let him settle into her as she arched deeper into the wall, holding onto the showerhead for support. And leverage. His heart raced as he let her ride to his urging, and her legs hugged tighter around his waist.

"_Deeper_," she moaned against his neck as her hands moved to cradle his head. He obliged, gladly, until he was pushing her so hard into the wall, she couldn't breathe. She didn't care. Breathing was unnecessary at this point. They both climaxed, the bathroom growing steamier with every passing second of pleasure. He rode it out, then eased her back down until her feet were firmly planted in the tub.

And the water just seemed to get hotter and hotter.

He held her body as close as possible, feeling her muscles twitching and shaking from their exertion. Her skin glistened with wetness as she fought to bring her lungs air. He smoothed back the wet hair that had plastered to her face, looking in to her eyes. His jaw clenched as he felt another surge of passion lift through him at her hands. She gripped his member in her palm, her thumb stroking his head and caressing him in just the right way. Soft in some spots. Rough in others.

There were no smiles in that bathroom. Just passion. Hot, unbridled passion that ripped at their hearts and burned their insides.

JC was forty-five minutes late to his autograph signing, and the local papers played it off as a "superstar ego".


	9. Chapter 9

**wow, how long has it been since we've been here? Well, I bought "My Life" and got inspired, so here it is. **

**one last thing. i started a new forum where my readers can go and give me tips and advice on my stories. I'd really like to here from you guys in more than a "review" setting, so check it out! I strongly encourage it! Make your ideas and opinions known!**

**till next time,**

**R.D.**

Chapter Nine

A thought occurred to Acelynn as she watched JC take a full bottle of rum from the bar, lift it to his lips, and tilt his head backwards. The same thought only strengthened in her mind as she started to hear the reasons why her husband-to-be was drinking so heavily. _I'm going to kill somebody, _Ace thought as she clenched her jaw and tightened her hand into a fist. In the distance, and talking _very_ loudly, her great-aunt, Auntie May, was having a very heated discussion with JC's cousin, Lily, about politics, God, and pro athletes' salaries. His uncle Ted was somewhere outside with her cousin Reenie "hooking up". And, in the corner of the room, three of his four brothers were wrestling/ "roughhousing" while the fourth was running up a billionaire worthy bar tab.

Ace was just sooooo glad that JC's parents and her father had gotten together to plan this little impromptu party for them just two days before they were actually supposed to get married. And just when she couldn't think things could get any worse, she spotted her father. He was sitting alone at his table, his face hidden behind a newspaper. This morning's newspaper.

Acelynn could remember the article they had written up - on the front page - verbatim.

**WWE Superstar Too Big For Hometown Fans**

_At exactly 11 AM Sunday (yesterday) morning, hundreds upon hundreds of WWE fans filled the sidewalks outside of a local gym waiting for their idol to show up and sign some autographs. Unfortunately, almost an hour later, no one had showed up._

_John Cena, WWE champion and Boston native, had been late to his own autograph signing, and made no sign of even realizing what time it was when he finally did arrive about fifty minutes later. Even then, he gave no reason for his lack of punctuality._

_"It's been a great," Cena stated after the last fan had gone home, "to see all the ones who took time out of their day to come and see me. It means a lot to me. Especially since it's here in Boston, my hometown."_

_Yet, he couldn't show the same respect and show up on time? Has the gold gone to this superstar's head?_

_"Ace and I have been in the middle of planning our wedding - which isn't just another WWE stunt, I assure you - but I still like to give enough time for my fans."_

_So, did he think that the scheduled three hours was too much time?_

_From the small screen once a week, to the music world, to the big screen, Cena had lost so much while gaining at the same time. Most of his fans have turned the other cheek, while some still remain loyal. But do the ones opposing him see something that others don't?_

_Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson found himself on the same path not too long ago. His fame shifted from wrestling to acting. The fans didn't appreciate this blatant abandoning, and it seems the whole thing is happening again. The question is..._

And the bashing continued on page 9A by stating the reporters opinions that "Cena has been champion for just a little too long". By then, JC had thrown the paper down and stormed out of the room. He never wanted anyone to view him in that way, especially everyone in Boston.

"Pumpkin?"

Her father's voice startle her. She hadn't realized that she had aimlessly wandered over to her father and had taken her own seat next to him. "Hmm?"

"What's going on?" He motioned to the last part of the article that lay out before them on the table. "I've never known John to be late. Hell, every time I saw him he was a half hour early for something."

It was true. He was always pushing her out the door just so they could be at least fifteen minutes early for something. Even family occasions. "They blew that completely out of proportion," she argued.

"It's the press, pumpkin. They tend to do that sometimes."

Ace was just getting embarrassed at this point. How could she explain to her father that they were . . . _doing things _. . . which made him late. She couldn't. And he could tell that she didn't want to talk about it. "Next topic. Tonight's Monday. You two going on the air?"

"Yes. Tonight's our mock wedding. The writers . . . and Vince . . . thought it would be fitting to do it in Boston. I can't say that I disagree with them."

"And the whole Candice Michelle thing?"

It made Ace laugh to even think that her father had been keeping up with all the events happing on the television screen. _If only he knew, _she thought. "Candice is going to make and appearance. Of course."

Her father's mouth moved to say something, but someone had grabbed her wrist and pulled her from the chair before he could say anything. JC basically dragged her until he had reached a secluded door behind the coat rack, and pulled her inside. "We need to get out of here," he staggered, searching for a light. He succeeded, finding a string hanging from the ceiling and proceeding to pull it until it fell to the floor. "Right now. Let's just leave. Maybe they won't notice," he spoke in short, practiced breaths.

"Um...I think someone might notice."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, we're standing in a coat closet," Acelynn laughed, gesturing to her Auntie May's giant rabbit fur coat hanging behind her. "Second - and this is really the more important part - the exit is, roughly estimated, 70 feet away. How can we, unnoticeably, exit the closet, dash across the room - as fast as possible, as you're implying - fly out the doors, and speed away without _anyone_ noticing?"

He smiled, clearly feeling some effect from the bottle that was attached to his mouth moments before. "We can try like hell," was his only thought.

Acelynn nodded, balling her hands into fists and placing them on her hips. Biting her lower lip, she responded, "I have one more question for you."

"What's that?"

"Can you keep up?" Without waiting for an answer, she ripped open the door and sped across the room as fast as her legs could carry her. He could keep up. He beat her to the car.

oOoOoOo

Acelynn stood behind the curtain, listening to the last few lyrics of JC's entrance music, while everyone was doting around her. There were whispers of how she looked amazing in her plain white dress, her plain hair just laying across her shoulders, and her plain bouquet which she was going to throw to the crowd anyway. She sneered at all of them, looking at herself in a full length mirror and silently screaming with her distaste. _This is not your wedding, _she kept reminding herself, _this is just a practice run. A rehearsal. You will NOT look this ugly._

Candice came up behind her, gave her a playful slap on the arm, and stared at Acelynn's reflection. "Ready for this?" she laughed. Acelynn held back her contempt for the woman and shook off her laughter, knowing that it was because she looked so hideous in the dress that wardrobe had chosen for her.

Acelynn turned to Candice, adding her own fake smile. "Let's just try to keep it as close to the script as possible this time, hmm?"

Candice understood, even though she pretended not to. Instead, she crossed her arms and holed herself up against the wall. More music started to play, but it wasn't for Acelynn.

A string quartet started playing "Here Comes the Bride" as a make-up artist hit one last powder puff against Candice's cheek. She brushed past Acelynn with her head held high. Acelynn gagged. "Sorry, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit," she coughed, knowing well that she was playing mind games with Candice. Even though she was fully aware she was creating drama, she felt it was needed drama. Much needed drama.

Candice acted like she hadn't heard and continued on towards the ring. Acelynn followed her every move with a loathing gaze._ She _didn't have to wear an uber ugly dress. _She _got to wear a skimpy little white number that barely covered anything. Acelynn would much rather be half naked than caught in what she was wearing, no matter how uncomfortable the former would make her feel. Unfortunately, her complaining was going to do her no good because, in the end, she had to wear the goddam dress.

Dammit.

Just as she rushed over to the curtain to watch JC's reaction, to make sure it was genuine (Jealousy, thy name is soon to be Acelynn Cena), people started surrounding her and tearing at her clothing. "What's going on?!" Not that she wasn't secretly loving that they were tearing the dress from hell to pieces.

Tina and Mel appeared at her side to grab her hands to keep her from swatting everyone away. "They just need to make it look like you and Candice got in a fight. Remember?" Tina soothed.

It brought a smile to Acelynn's face. Yes, she did remember. They were supposed to have fought. They were supposed to lunge at each other, but JC was supposed to stop her before anything could happen. For safety purposes, of course.

Then, the "wedding" would take place.


	10. Chapter 10

**well, this chapter was long awaited. i hope i did your anticiapation justice. **

**sorry that it took so long! i hope you enjoy!**

**Ruby**

Chapter Ten 

She stood in the full-length mirror, taking it all in. She was in her Vera Wang. Her veil was on her head, an abundance of white lace placed delicately on a pile of curls. She was wearing the most comfortable lingerie she could find while still keeping it "sexy". She was fully ready to get married.

Mel and Tina bounced into the bride's dressing room, both flittering about in their cocktail dresses with the sweetheart neckline, black satin detailing around the waist, and the tasteful bubble hem. Tina twirled about, finding pleasure in watching the bell of the dress swish about her knees carelessly.

Mel materialized at Acelynn's side, gave her a quick once over, then proceeded to give her an approving smile. "You're getting married today," she beamed, reaching out to hug her best friend.

Acelynn was speechless. Finally. She was finally getting her fairy tale ending. After many years of waiting and searching, she was ending up with the man of her dreams. The man she was meant to be with. All the drama, all the negative emotions that would undoubtedly surface around her in the future would no longer matter. She was pledging herself, her whole self, to Mr. John Cena in a matter of moments. He was giving himself to her. Forever. She was sure it was to be forever.

Acelynn turned to Melanie and grabbed her shoulders, prompting the two of them to start screaming and jumping like they were in high school.

Yes, all drama was pushed onto the back burner. Candice Michelle was not even a memory in her thoughts. Today was a day meant to be all about Acelynn. And John, of course. But mostly Acelynn.

Acelynn stopped the jumping, worrying that her hair was going to come loose. She was never one to worry about such things, but today was different. Today is about me, she reminded herself with a smile.

She walked back to the mirror. "You look gorgeous," Melanie added, sticking her head on Acelynn's shoulder and her arms around her waist for one more hug.

"Ace!" Tina called, peeking out the window to the front of the church. "Look, John just got here!"

Melanie helped Acelynn rush to the window, all three of them staring out the panes. A black limousine had pulled up, the back doors opening and the groom's wedding party stepping out onto the pavement. First out of the limo was Randy, the best man. Tina swooned as he adjusted his tie. Acelynn and Melanie both knew that she was planning her own wedding her mind as they watched.

After all of John's brothers had filed out in the loud fashion that always seemed to accompany their presence, John stepped out and closed the door behind him. It took seconds for him to turn around, but when he did, the sight of him in his tuxedo (black jacket, black pants, all the fillings white) made the three of them exhale sharply at the same time.

"Damn, that boy cleans up _fine_!" Tina commented, plucked from her wedding fantasy for the time being.

Melanie turned her head, watching guests walking up the sidewalk towards him. She frowned, then gathered the curtains together and pushed the other two from the window before they got a chance to look for themselves. Tina stumbled in her stilettos, trying to regain her balance. "What was that for?" she complained.

Fortunately, Melanie knew enough not to push Acelynn too jarringly so not to ruin her dress, which was why Tina got the brunt of the attack.

"Nothing."

"Mel?" Acelynn asked, tilting her head. "What's outside?"

"Nothing," Melanie repeated. "I think the light is better if the curtains are closed. No glare on the mirrors that way." She grabbed Acelynn by the elbow, ushering her back to the other side of the room. "You know, we really should make sure we put all the finishing…"

"…Holy crap…" Tina sighed.

Melanie and Acelynn pivoted, seeing Tina looking through the curtains once more. Acelynn took her elbow away from Melanie, stepping back towards the window. "What?"

Tina tugged the curtains closed. "Nothing. Saw a bug," she sputtered.

Acelynn threw her hands in the air, motioning for her best friends to stop fussing about her. "A bug?"

"It was a really, really big bug."

"This is ridiculous. What's outside?"

Tina and Melanie stood together, unblinking. Acelynn pulled back the curtain, a smile spreading across her face as she saw her soon to be husband again. The smile disappeared when she recognized his company.

Candice Michelle stood next to him on the sidewalk, entirely too close for Acelynn's liking. Acelynn shook her head. No, this was her day. No more jealousy. She didn't have be jealous anymore. And no more drama. None that mattered, anyway.

It was _her_ day.

Still. Candice's entirely too revealing top that dipped entirely too low in the front was entirely too short to be worn in a church. What was she thinking? Or was she not thinking? Either way…

No! It was HER day!

She yanked the curtain closed.

"You okay?" One of them asked. Acelynn wasn't sure.

"I'm fine," she replied with a smile. "I'm getting married today. I'm just fine, if not better."

Tina sighed. "Good, because I almost forgot that we came bearing gifts." She skipped over next to the door where she produced a white box tied with a black bow. "I thought it would be good to match your 'black and white' wedding," she chided.

"What's this?" Acelynn finally asked, feeling her eyes start to well up in tears.

The two friends looked back at her with wide eyes, choking back tears themselves. "We figured you'd need help with the old traditions," Mel explained, unwrapping the bow and opening the box.

It was true. JC and Acelynn had always been a bit out of the loop when it came to the "old school" traditions. Hell, he had proposed to her on their couch after she had gotten all sweaty from her physical therapy. The words he had said held meaning to her, but others might have seen the proposal itself as sloppy. She remembered the phrase: _'Please don't make me do the whole get-down-on-one-knee crap...' _

That was John Cena. A hopeless romantic. More like romantically hopeless.

Knocked from her thoughts, Melanie brought Acelynn back to the here and now. "…So, for your father's sake, we decided to put together some things…"

"Show her, show her!" Tina begged, ever the child at heart.

Melanie pullout out a long silver chain first, attached to a heart shaped locket. "This was my grandmother's," she explained, slipping the chain over Acelynn's head as they all admired the beauty of the shining silver. "Your something old."

"My turn!" Tina jumped, reaching her arm in to the box and pulling out a single white rose. "Bought it this morning. It could be your something new." Tina walked over to the vase next to the door, holding all three bouquets for the ladies. She picked out the biggest - Acelynn's - and stuck the rose in between the bundle of lilies.

"And here's your something borrowed," Mel continued, pulling out an antique hair comb. They admired the piece first, black with silver streaming through the embedded design in the metal. Acelynn awed at it for a moment, then gently peeled her veil from her head and instructed Melanie how to put it in her hair without ruining her bouncy curls. Melanie helped her replace the veil, then waved for Tina to continue on still.

They all stepped back. "One last thing," Tina stated with a devious smile. Her expression twisted into a menacing stare as she produced the final gift. "Your something blue!"

Acelynn took a leap backwards as she saw the baby blue ankle bracelet, twisted and contorted with years of age. A charm dangled precariously off the middle, the word "friend" almost too faded to read. "You still have that old thing?" Tears were now openly streaming down Acelynn's face, threatening to destroy her make-up and everything southward.

Tina hurried to her rescue, finding herself needing one as well. Melanie scowled at the anklet. "What is that _thing_?"

"I gave it to her in junior high school after I got back from vacation that year," Acelynn sobbed, crying into her friend's tissue laden hand. Then, it truly, truly dawned on her. "You guys… I'm… I'm getting married!"

oOoOoOo

John adjusted his tie, shifting nervously in place. Randy was standing by, watching the groom twitch and jerk with a certain uneasiness that made him touch his tie every other five seconds. "Everything okay over there?" he asked, unable to watch any further. The best man was not the only one watching. The entire church - filled with family members, friends, and every WWE superstar/diva on the roster - could see John doing his nervous dance.

"Fine…" he responded as he smiled. He couldn't help but smile. It was his wedding day. He was about to spend the rest of his life with the girl of his dreams. So why was he unable to keep himself still?

"Are you sure? Not getting cold feet?" Randy whispered again, putting on his own smile for everyone looking up towards the alter.

"No, not cold feet. Just… nerves…." John responded, forcing himself to stand still. It was useless. No matter how hard he tried, his hand would always move to the knot of his tie. It wasn't bothering him so much as it was choking him. It wasn't an annoyance so much as it was cutting off oxygen to his brain. Or, was he just imagining it? "Good nerves, though. I think."

"Good," Randy hummed, smiling genuinely now. The wedding procession had begun, although John had not noticed. Tina was walking down the isle, Melanie behind her. The piano was silenced as the ladies reached the front of the church, and the doors in the back opened as people all turned to see the bride making her way down the isle.

The large door creaked open slowly. John finally found it in him to keep still, seeing the first glimpses of Acelynn's father. An arm, a shoulder, and then her whole figure was visible in the church vestibule as the classic wedding march erupted into the room. His jaw fell open, but he was able to readjust himself as Randy nudged him accordingly.

The background fell away, even her father disappeared as Acelynn walked down the isle towards him. He felt him mouth curve uncontrollably, stretching to the limits. Suddenly, he realized that his tie was never tight, but the uncomfortable feeling was in his chest. Deep emotions - which he was not used to showing - were building up, threatening to burst through the seems of his tuxedo. His eyes grew hot as he made eyes contact with her, realizing that they were filling with tears.

Everyone may have been watching her walk down the isle, but she was staring at him.

As she neared closer, he found that he wanted to scoop her up in his arms and carry her back somewhere private, but he controlled his urge. She was crying - much harder than he was - but the lacy veil over her face somewhat hit it from those who were marveling at her dress.

Oh, God, that dress…

Her father smiled widely as John stepped down from the alter to meet them. He turned to his daughter, his cheeks growing red as he reached up and removed the veil from her face. She kissed him on the cheek, then turned to John with streaming tears.

John laughed as he shook her father's hand, watching the pride shimmer in his eyes. "You take care of her, you hear?" he asked John, laying his other hand on top of the handshake.

"I couldn't possibly not," John replied, turning to his bride.

Acelynn reached up and wiped a single tear from his eye, then wrapped her arm around his and continued back towards the alter.

It was - simply put - the best day of their lives.

oOoOoOo

John took his wife's hand, unable to take his gaze off of her as he led her onto the dance floor. The music started, their very first dance as husband and wife.

He pulled her close, holding her hand in one of his own while wrapping his arm around her waist. She began to sing to him, her voice softly echoing the words:

_When I see your smile / __Tears run down on my face / I can't replace / And now that I'm stronger / I've figured out / How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul / And I know I'll find deep inside me / I can be the one _

_(Chorus) I will never let you fall. (let you fall.) / I'll stand up with you forever / I'll be there for you through it all. (through it all) / Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

They swayed together, their bodies meshing as they glided across the dance floor. All eyes were on the time, although they couldn't help but only look at one another.

_It's okay, It's okay, It's okay-ay-ay-ay-ay _

_Seasons are changing / And waves are crashing / And stars are falling all for us / Days grow longer and nights grow shorter / I can show you I'll be the one _

_(Chorus)I will never let you fall. (let you fall.) / I'll stand up with you forever / I'll be there for you through it all. (through it all.) / Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

Acelynn stiffened in his arms, anticipating the pick up in the pace of the song. The guitar became more present as the song droned on, their feet picking up the pace as they clung to one another.

_'Cause you're my, you're my, my-e-y-e-y / My true love, my whole heart / Please don't throw that away / 'Cause I'm here... for you! / Please don't walk away and / Please tell me you'll stay... here! / Whoa-oh! / Stay! / Whoa-oh! / Use me as you will! / Pull my strings just for a thrill! / And I know I'll be okay / Though my skies are turning grey! (grey, grey, grey) _

His mouth hurt, he was smiling so hard. Acelynn began singing louder, only to him. Her fingers laced with his as he pulled her even closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting the lyrics define to moment. The perfect moment.

_(Chorus) I will never let you fall! / I'll stand up with you forever! / I'll be there for you through it all / Even if saving you sends me to heaven! / I will never let you fall! / I'll stand up with you forever! / I'll be there for you through it all / Even if saving you sends me to heaven! (continues until fades out)_

Clapping enveloped the room, but the newlyweds seemed oblivious to the songs ending. Acelynn's father stood, resting a hand on his daughter's back as she rose from her spot on her new husband.

John unwillingly - although pleasantly - gave his wife back to her father for the father-daughter dance, and returned to his seat at the head of the large table overlooking all his guests.

He was going to spend the rest of his life with this girl, and it was all just beginning.

**Song: "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus ... CHECK IT OUT!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Acelynn stirred softly, John waking her as he kissed around her bellybutton. Before she even opened her eyes, she was aware of the heat rising through her as his tongue glided across her skin. "Good morning, Mrs. Cena," he whispered against her bare flesh as she ran her hands through his hair.

"Oh, God, say it again," she moaned, finding herself smiling uncontrollably. Her entire body was aching from the intense lovemaking the night before, but she couldn't help but want more. And more, and more, and more.

He lifted himself so he was eye level with her. "Good morning, Mrs. Cena," he restated.

Acelynn laughed, hugging her naked body to her husband. She felt his arousal against the inner part of her thigh. She ached for him as much her whole body almost convulsed.

It was almost impossible for her to get her mind around. Yesterday, they were merely engaged. Basically, they were still dating, but with a little more commitment. Now, as she allowed her whole self to collapse in his bulky arms, she was his wife. His partner forever. And it was going to be forever. It really, really was.

He kissed her neck with wet, sloppy kisses. "Are you happy?" he asked in between kisses.

"Very," she whispered back, almost unable to find her voice.

"Somehow, I don't believe you."

"No?"

"No. I think you need a little more convincing."

Acelynn giggled, feeling his kisses moving a little more south with every passing second. Yes, she was hurting, but she could always take a little more love in her life. After all, she considered herself to be a tough girl. "Now what could we do to make you a believer?"

"Oh, I could think of a couple things."

With that, they were at it again.

- - - - - -

It had taken two weeks of uninterrupted bliss to make Acelynn come down from the high of her wedding. But, as was inevitable sooner or later, the honeymoon was over and it was back to the happy couple's chosen vocation. The urge get back to work was stronger in Acelynn than she would have thought possible after the seven different kinds of splendor she had experienced on that private little island in the Caribbean John had chosen. Still, when their plane landed near the next venue for the show, there was a small pang in her heart that told her that she really did miss her time in the WWE. After all, with her new husband being who he was, it was going to be a big part of her life for a long time (not that she hadn't thought about that before, though). Mentally, she fought with herself over if she would like to retake her place at his side at the ring permanently. Or maybe something else. She had enjoyed the other odd jobs she had backstage.

At any rate, she wasn't worried about that in the slightest at the second. Holding John's hand as he led her down the hallway towards his dressing room, Acelynn told herself to worry more about the present than the future. John was in her future, and she was in his. No matter what happened, it couldn't be that bad if he was there.

Then again, her mother had always been the "half-empty" type of person to bring up the point that nothing was set in stone.

Acelynn shook her head. No, she couldn't think like that. To think like that would be to think like her mother, and she had no intention of doing anything of the sort any time soon.

She would live for the present, because the present was where she was. She was happy, more than just happy. If she kept her present self happy, then she could keep her future self happy.

John squeezed her hand as they approached the door. There was still a couple weeks on her temporary contract with Vince, in order to tie up all the loose ends after the wedding. She had a couple more weeks to decide whether she wanted it to continue in the future - assuming that Vince and the writers would find it in their interest to have her back in some way or another - and she was going to take full advantage of those weeks to really think. Seeing the plaque on the door that read "John and Acelynn Cena" made her decision seem a little easier.

Sure, she had seen their names coupled together before, but there had been less of an impact on her. Now, it not only sent her own heart fluttering, but she could see John smiling uncontrollably from the corner of her eye.

Somehow, "until death do you part" didn't seem long enough anymore.

The room was filled with baskets of flowers and fruit, all portraying congratulatory notes from other superstars and production people.

Acelynn took a seat on the couch in front of the flat-screen television that had been provided for them. John unwrapped one of the baskets and tossed her an apple at her request. "You better be careful," she laughed as she sunk her teeth into the juicy fruit. "A girl could get used to this."

John rolled his eyes, allowing himself to fall into the cushions beside her. "I think I can afford to buy you apples."

"That's not what I meant," she kidded.

John reached his arm around the back of the couch, pulling her into his side as he lowered his mouth to her neck. His hand played at the hem of her t-shirt, inching it up her back as the tips of his fingers caressed her skin. She giggled, falling into him.

It never seemed to get old.

As John moved her onto his lap, a knock at the door initiated his halt. Candice poked her head into the room, smiling widely. "Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to make sure you got my flowers," she apologized, motioning to a vase full of lilies on the end table next to Acelynn. "And I see that the honeymoon isn't quite over yet so…"

She moved to shut the door, but Acelynn stood. "Candice, wait. Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful," Acelynn admired, studying the white and gentle pink spray. "Lilies are my favorite."

Candice nodded. "Yeah, I know." Without another word, she disappeared behind the solid door.

Acelynn cocked her head, her smile disappearing. "She knew?"

John picked himself up from the couch, wrapping his arms around her as he continued his advance on her neck. "You _were_ holding lilies at the wedding," he pointed out.

She twisted in his arms. "You remember what kind of flowers I was holding but you can't remember what you had for breakfast yesterday ?"

"I remember everything about that day," he confirmed against her nape.

Silence enveloped her. Only for a moment. "What did Candice say to you before the wedding? Outside, on the sidewalk?"

John stopped his kisses, pausing with his lips still pressed against her skin. He had just forgone his option to say he didn't recollect ever noticing Candice that day. Obviously he couldn't lie. She wouldn't have brought it up if she hadn't seen it happen. He could buy more time, though. "Ace, come on…"

Acelynn pushed herself away from him, realizing she was falling into past habits. "Oh, no! I didn't mean that…I was just… I don't know. Just curious. I mean, the thought just popped into my head and I asked before my brain could… think." She really hadn't meant to imply anything other than a simple conversation between John and the diva. _Old habits die hard_, she concluded as she also decided to shut her mouth before she got herself in trouble. Something of a first for her.

"She just wanted to wish us well, is all," John confessed half-heartedly. It was true, the word 'congratulations' had left Candice's mouth during the particular conversation. Although, how she had expressed it was something he did not want to confess to his wife. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and wouldn't cause her any unnecessary drama.

Somehow, when it came to Acelynn, it all came back down to drama.

But he loved that about her, mostly because he got to pick up her pieces when she had decided she had had enough. He wanted to be the one to catch her when she fell, but he wanted to be the one to keep her from falling.

She replied with an almost inaudible "hmm" and let him persist.

He stopped suddenly, pulling away from her as his hand moved up his arm towards his shoulder. His face scrunched in pain, Acelynn cocking her head at his expression. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he grimaced, rubbing the back of his shoulder. "It's probably nothing, just a muscle spasm."

"On a scale of one to ten?"

John laughed, finding her concern over a simple pain amusing. "It's nothing. Just an ache, promise."

"JC… the pain wasn't there a couple minutes ago. Even a couple seconds ago…" she frowned.

He removed his hand from his shoulder. "All gone."

She crossed her arms. "I saw you lifting weights the other day. It was a lot more intense than the stuff you usually do."

"…Because I wanted to make sure I was ready to compete tonight after the two weeks of… well, you know…" He added a sly smirk, trying to convince her it really was just a random muscle spasm.

She squeezed her arms tighter against her chest, her eyes directed towards the floor. Ever since her accident, she had been more protective of John and his health. As much as she wanted to wrestle - although she had never really gotten the chance to be very good - she felt that she could live without it since she had no other option after her surgery. John, however, was another story. His life was the in the WWE, and she didn't even want to think about what he would do if he couldn't ever wrestle again.

Her own story had made that point very clear to her, and she had ever since been trying to convey that same message to her husband.

"John," she scolded with a single word.

He laughed again. He knew she didn't mean to be as overprotective and overbearing as she was sometimes, but he knew to take it as a clue that she loved him, and cared about his general well being as a whole.

Throwing his arms in the air, palms out as a sign of surrender, he admitted defeat. "Okay, I give in. If it'll make you happy, then I'll go see a trainer. When he says that I'm fine, though, I'm going to have three words for you."

"Which three words would that be?"

"I told you - adding a fourth - so." He emphasized his point by holding up the right amount of fingers.

With a kiss on the forehead, he left in search of a physical trainer.

Acelynn smiled to herself. It was normally much harder to make John see her way of thinking, and she was pleased that it had taken her only a minimal effort this time.

She took the time to herself to examine the bouquets of flowers around the room, wondering what she was going to do with them all. As her nose descended into the petals of an orange flower Acelynn could only guess the name of, the door opened behind her. Randy stepped into the room, a motorcycle helmet under his left arm as his right hand reached up to cover his eyes. "Is it okay to look?" he teased, lowering his hand without waiting for prompting.

"Ha ha," Acelynn jested, her hands on her hips as she lifted her face from the flower. "You and your buddy just constantly crack me up."

The side of his mouth curled into a smile. "It look like the Botanical Gardens barfed all over your dressing room."

Acelynn rolled her eyes in response. "Which ones are yours?"

"Why are you so sure that I sent you any in the first place?"

"Because Melanie's are over there," she pointed, averting his eyes to the other side of the room. "If Melanie sent me flowers, Tina did, too. And Christina would have put your name on the card… stop me when I'm getting warm."

Randy picked up the vase closet to the door, sunflowers mixed with yellow lilies covering his face from view until he placed it back down on the table. "Here."

"I should have known. My favorite flowers with her favorite flowers," Acelynn smiled. "So what did you want?"

"Well, we're hospitable, aren't we?"

"What do you want, Randy?"

His smiled faded, his hand reaching up to the back of his neck as his chin lowered to his chest. "Have you heard from Tina in a while?"

Acelynn checked her watch, mentally figuring the last time she had talked to her best friend. "Umm… this morning, I think. Why?"

He hesitated, his gaze never returning to hers.

"Randy, what's wrong with Tina?" Acelynn panicked.

His eyes shot up, looking past her but not at her. "No! Nothing like that… it's just…well, she's going to be calling you later, I guess. She wants to talk to you, but I don't know if…"

"Randy," Acelynn directed, walking towards him until he had to look her in the eye. She squinted, her gaze turning menacing as she stared him down. "What's going on?"

"I accidentally told her something I don't think I should have, and she wanted me to… well, she wanted to tell you, but I suggested that it might be better if I…" he stammered.

"Randy, sit!" she interrupted, pointing to the couch. He took a seat, then followed.

Acelynn silently scolded herself before she sat down beside him, not wanting him to think of her as a bitch for ordering him around. She was just concerned, and the way he was approaching whatever subject he was approaching was not helping her. She looked at Randy, her gaze softening as she took a deep breath. He followed her example.

"Okay, but I didn't tell you any of this," he offered. She nodded in agreement. "Let me just say that I made a stupid mistake in telling even Tina, but I felt that someone had to know. And, well, I just kind of blurted it out."

"Randy, please."

"Okay, okay. But you have to promise me that you won't overreact."

Acelynn held up two fingers. "Scout's honor." Yeah, like she could ever promise such a thing. Overreact? Acelynn? Never!

"Okay. Tina had mentioned to me that you saw Candice talking to us when we got to the church." Acelynn nodded in confirmation. "She said that she was waiting for someone, but it seemed to me that she was just using at as excuse to talk to Johnny."

Acelynn nodded, her eyes squinting with mixed emotions. "Go on," she urged.

"Candice said that she wanted to congratulate Johnny for not having to deal with being single anymore."

Acelynn whipped her head back. "What does that even mean?"

Randy shrugged. "That's what Johnny asked," he replied. Acelynn smiled inside herself, keeping a stern look on the outside. Somehow, the look in on Randy's face told her that he was finished. "She told him that it was hectic to be single anymore. She used examples like not having to go through date after date, not having to worry about only yourself, being tied down so not to go too crazy… kind of like the 'ol ball and chain' but in reverse."

"Wow," Acelynn spoke bluntly. "Well, that's real subtle."

"Yeah, but…Johnny just kind of brushed her off and I thought he saw that she was just being… well, Candice…"

"But?"

"But - and this is really the reason I thought you should know - John was kind of… twitching before the ceremony. Like, you know how he rubs his chin when he's thinking about something? Really thinking? It just bothered me that he kept touching the knot of his tie. His face was even going red, like he was choking, but he was fine before that. I mean, I spent all most all morning with him…"

Acelynn put her hand up. "If it was such a big deal, wouldn't JC have said something to me?" That was the only real thing that bothered Acelynn, and she was proud of herself for that.

"He said not to tell you, that you'd just get upset. Not about the tie thing… I never talked to him about the tie thing… but the Candice thing."

"Then why are you telling me, Randy?" she asked, leaning forward on her knees.

"Like I said, I accidentally told Tina and she was gung-ho on wanting to tell you. I figured if you did get upset, I would want you to get mad at me and not her."

That was what surprised Acelynn the most out of everything he had said. "What would make you think I'd get mad at you, Randy? Or Tina? Tina is one of my best friends and you, although I don't know as well as JC, are one of my good friends. Why would I get mad at you?"

"Because that's what you do."

Acelynn violently shook her head. "I'm not mad."

Randy smiled as he rose. "Good, then I should go get ready for later."

Acelynn rose with him, walking along side him the short distance to the door. "You're a sweetheart, Randy. Thank you."

He nodded, feeling good about himself. He reached for the handle, stepping out into the hallway. He turned back to Acelynn as she moved to close the door, catching on last glimpse at her. "You know, I don't know where Candice can get off saying stuff like that."

Acelynn shook her head, not really caring.

"I never saw you as the jealous type anyway."

She had been closing the door, but caught herself mid-swing. "Randy says what?"

"Yeah. That crack Candice made about how it was good Johnny was marrying someone who was jealous, that way there was a shorter leash and less opportunity to be unfaithful or something? That's why I thought he didn't take her seriously… and… and I forgot to mention that part, didn't I?" He stammered, stumbling over his feet. "Sorry, Ace…. Are you mad?"

Acelynn smiled. "Oh, I'm not mad," she responded as she gently closed the door. And it was true, she wasn't mad. She was furious.


	12. Chapter 12

**Kind of a yucky chapter. Sorry!**

Chapter Twelve

Acelynn paced back and forth, her cellphone clutched in her hand. She stared at the LCD, Tina's number already punched in on the keypad. She couldn't collect her thoughts, and she couldn't catch her breath. What was she going to do? Freak out? On who?

John? He obviously wasn't at fault, however she felt an ever growing rage towards him. How could he not tell her that Candice would say such a thing? If he had doubts about the marriage, why didn't he say anything? Surely they were close enough for him to tell her anything. They were married after all! Then again, he hadn't told her about the whole contract thing…

A thought hit her. Was he afraid of her? Afraid of her sometimes uncontrollable anger, and the effects of making her angry? Fear wasn't the best basis for a marriage, and it horrified Acelynn to think that John even has the slightest idea of dread towards her.

"Okay, Ace," she whispered to herself, "calm down. He loves you. He married you. And you love him… Oh God, you love him."

Candice? The logical target of her resentment. What was the woman's game? What was she playing at? No matter how Acelynn tried to wrap her head around the matter, nothing seemed to make much sense to her. Candice had never shown much interest towards John before, so why wait until he was married? There really was no reason she could think of, other than Candice just trying to make Acelynn's life a living hell. To an extent, it was working, which made Acelynn the maddest of all.

Acelynn stopped pacing, the door opening slightly as John peaked his head inside. "You okay, Ace?" He asked, careful to step inside.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "What did Randy tell you?" she asked calmly, trying to get everything set straight in her head. After all, the whole thing could easily turn into a game of "he said, she said" and then things could get really sticky.

John pushed the door open, standing in the frame. He cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows stitched together in confusion. "What? I didn't talk to Randy…"

Acelynn stared at him, her own confusion spreading across her face. "Then why'd you ask me if I was okay?"

He took a step forward, then decided it was better to just stop in his tracks. "I could hear you angrily mumbling something all the way down the hallway. Which, I guess, means that you were more than mumbling. Now, I come in here and your face is blue. Ace, what happened in the ten minutes I was gone?"

Acelynn shook her head, concentrating on regulating her breathing again. "Nothing." And it was going to stay that way until she could mentally sort things out. "What did the trainer say?"

John smiled, his cheeks bunching up in a way that made his dimples pop. Acelynn forgot all her anger for a second, her knees liquefying as he stared at her. "Fine. Just a muscle spasm, like I said." She shot him a fierce look. "A painful one, but still just a lowly muscle spasm. Promise."

Acelynn walked over to him, curling into his chest as he held his arms out to her. She felt him nestled his chin in her hair, knowing that something was wrong, but at the same time knowing that it was not the time to talk about it. She hugged him tighter than she ever had before, even though he probably barely felt it under his mass of muscles. "I love you," she whispered to only him. How could she not?

He laughed lightly, the vibration in his chest soothing her into him even more. "I love you, too, Ace. Always."

Acelynn closed her eyes, letting him gently rock her in place for a second. After a long moment, he nudged her away a bit. She opened her eyes, immediately taking in all the flowers in the room. A thought hit her as she felt John's hand squeeze into hers. Candice walked into the room when they had first arrived. Candice had sent flowers. The lilies, by the couch. Acelynn cocked her head as she stared at what seemed to be a gift. She realized in that moment that even simple flowers can be not what they appear. No longer were the lilies a congratulatory gift. They were a symbol that Candice was not to be taken out of the equation. They were a message, that Candice was not meant to be forgotten.

All the rage bubbled back to the surface.

She turned to her husband, patting his forearm with her free hand. "What time are we supposed to be out there?"

John smiled, still confused. "We're on first. Why?"

Acelynn smiled as sweetly as she could, but some of her malice leaked through. "I have something to do. I'll be back, though."

She tried to walk past him, but he held her hand tighter. "Ace, you have, like, twenty minutes."

Acelynn skipped back to him, jumping on her tiptoes to press her lips against his. "That's fifteen more minutes than I need."

"Why do I think that I should pick you up and lock you in the bathroom?"

She wiggled her hand out of his, turning and almost running down the hallway before he could catch her. "Because you probably should," she answered over her shoulder, running around the corner before he could get a chance to do so.

John stood in the doorway, his hands on his hips. He thought about running after her, catching her, and forcing her to behave herself, but he was only able to shake his head in her wake.

- - - - - - -

The women's locker room was easy to locate, having past it on the way into the arena. Acelynn took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and pushed the door open with as much strength as she force. Acelynn thanked whatever higher power that allowed Candice to be in the locker room, as well as thanking her lucky stars that she was alone. This was essentially a one-on-one conversation and it helped that there were no other ears around to hear it.

"Acelynn," Candice smiled – almost mockingly – as Acelynn closed the door behind her. "What brings you here?"

Acelynn frowned, crossing her arms. "Look, I'm not going to pretend to be nice and all that crap. I'm much better at drama and anger. A lot better. So let's cut the shit. What are you playing at, because I'm not especially appreciating it…"

Candice kept up her façade. "Ace, I don't know what you're…"

"Oh, spare me! Please."

Her smile finally disappeared. "You know, I'm trying to be nice to you and you're making it extremely difficult."

Her arms squeezed tighter over her chest. It was all Acelynn could do to keep herself from reaching out and slapping that smug face of hers. "You're trying to kill me with kindness. Well, I'm not dead, Candice. I'm pissed off, but still very much alive." She paused, looking for a reaction from Candice. She received none. "Randy told my what you said to _my husband_ before the wedding," she stated bluntly, thinking Candice would be somehow shaken by the comment.

She wasn't. Candice coolly continued with fussing with her duffel back. "So?"

"_So_?" She drew out the little word to emphasize. "So… don't you think there's a moral decency that you're missing? That you were missing by bringing up all the stereotypical male fears of marriage?! The moral decency that you were missing when you attended our wedding under invitation and then bashed the two of us by calling him a cheater and me jealous?!"

"But you are, and he is."

"He cheated on Michelle with me, the women he ended he ended up marrying. It's different!"

"Fine, then I take back what I said about him." Candice seemed to find what she was looking for, taking out a hairbrush and casually running it through her hair as she blankly stared in Acelynn's direction. She knew that her lack of reaction was making Acelynn frustrated, and she was doing it on purpose.

Acelynn nearly growled, a low rumbling sound reverberating through her rub cage. "I'm not jealous, Candice!"

"You seem pretty jealous to me."

"I'm not jealous! I'm fucking pissed off that you're being such a bitch for no reason!"

Candice raised her eyebrows. "You really think there's no reason? That's cute."

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

Candice stopped. She took a step in Acelynn's direction, then thought better. "It's really simple, Acelynn. Marriage is where sensuality goes to die. Plain and simple. John may look at you adoringly now, but in a while, things will start to get old. Really old. Those oversized hoodies you seem to like so much will no longer be appealing to him. And, well, let's just say that I don't wear hoodies."

Acelynn wanted an explanation, she had even considered the fact that Candice would be capable of it, but she had never thought she would be getting a full confession. She thought her anger would intensify to an intolerable point for her. Instead, though, she found herself smiling. Laughing, even.

Candice, finally allowing herself to respond, shoved her hands onto her hips as she frowned. "Am I missing the joke?" she asked aggressively.

Acelynn nodded, her laugh turning into something so forceful that she doubled over and held her knees just to keep herself upright. "Yeah, yeah you are," she gasped between silly breaths.

Candice shifted nervously. "Care to share?"

Acelynn straightened, wiping her eyes once she felt tears prickling at her lenses. "You just… you just don't get it, do you? John – the man that you so affectionately refer to as a cheater – cheated on his girlfriend with _me_. He married _me_. He grew up with _me_. He knows everything about me and I know everything about him. Hell, sometimes I find that I know how he's going to respond to certain situations before they even happen. Sometimes I know what he's going to say before he says it." She paused, making sure Candice was taking in everything she was saying. "You're not exactly his type. It's funny that you think that.. well… it's just funny that you think that." Her smile widened, her cheeks bunching under her eyes. "_That's cute_."

Candice sneered. "You'd be surprised."

Acelynn shook her head. "I'm not surprised by much, anymore."

Her frown flipped. "You actually believed me?"

Acelynn shook her head once more, glancing down at her watch. She had to change and be on stage in five minutes. "No, not at all. The _real_ funny part was that you thought I would."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Acelynn let out an exasperated sigh. "I just don't know, Tina. What the hell is Candice playing at?"

Her friend sat across from her, nestled tightly in the oversized armchair she always claimed for herself whenever visiting Acelynn. "Are you sure she's not really just being a whore? I mean, it wouldn't surprise me…much…."

Acelynn shook her head, having gone over everything before. "No. Definitely not. She's not _flirting_ with him, Tina. She's _picking_ at him. I just wish I knew why."

Melanie stirred from somewhere in the kitchen. "And you really thought she was going to tell you?" She came gliding into the room, a tray of mugs filled with hot chocolate in her stable hands. Her gaze traveled from Acelynn to Tina, signaling nonverbal messages to the latter while hoping Acelynn didn't notice.

She did notice, but chose to ignore it with a scowl. "No, but I thought if I saw her – saw her reaction or something – I would get a feeling or… or…"

Melanie handed out the mugs, then took her seat next to Acelynn on the sofa. "So she doesn't want to steal your husband away from you. That's a _good_ thing, Ace. Why are you still freaking out?"

"I'm not freaking out! I'm just…" How could she explain it? "I'm just… curious. John said himself, drama seems to be attracted to me. I've tried to ignore it, and look where it got me. I might as well ride this out, try to figure out how to fix it."

Tina sipped politely. "Speaking of John."

Melanie's eyebrows raised with interest. "Yes, what about John?"

Acelynn shook her head, stealing her eyes away from her friends. "I haven't told him a thing, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Lying isn't the best way to start off a marriage," Tina scolded, shaking her finger.

"I'm not lying! I'm just… trying not to worry him. JC doesn't exactly approve of the situations I get myself in. And besides, he knows what's going on. He just doesn't see it the way I do."

Mel leaned backwards, making herself more comfortable. "Is he blind to the situation or is he ignoring it?"

Tina giggled. "Oh! Good question."

Acelynn put down her hot chocolate, standing. Chuckie danced around her ankles, nipping at her for attention. She scooped the puppy up in her arms, squeezing for a small hug and then loosening her arms so the puppy could get comfortable.

"You're stalling…" Tina chimed, watching her intently.

Acelynn inhaled deeply, some annoyance washing over her. "I'm stalling because I can't answer your question. Now will you two stop playing Dr. Phil and help me figure this out?"

Tina jumped from her seat, nearly spilling her cocoa in the process. "Oo! CSI time! Boston style!"

"Except," Melanie laughed, "there are no dead bodies, not crime scenes, and we're not forensic scientists."

"So we can be the detectives," Tina pointed out. "Like that hunky Eddie Cahill from the New York one…."

"New York is my favorite one! But, really? Don Flack? He's cute but," Melanie continued, "I'd prefer that Carmine Giovinazzo. Danny Messer and his New York accent could investigate me any day."

Tina giggled louder. "You did not just say that…"

"Girls!" Acelynn interjected, returning the puppy to his position on the floor. "Can we focus please?"

Tina frowned, plopping back down into the chair with her hands in her lap. "Sorry if we aren't taking this seriously, Ace, but…"

Melanie say her imminent struggle with words, and spoke on her behalf. "… we just think that you're looking too into this. That's all. Candice does have a reputation for being something of an agitator."

Acelynn grimaced, pulling her arms around herself. "So…what are you saying?" She made herself look as pathetic as possible, knowing that she was eventually going to get what she wanted. If she looked sad and pitiable enough, she knew that it would speed up the process.

Tina and Melanie looked at each other, shrugging. "Alright," she agreed in unison.

"We'll help you figure out what is going on…" Tina started, turning her back as she rolled her eyes.

"…but you have to promise to drop this the moment we figure it out. The exact moment…." Melanie continued.

"…and that'll be that." Tina finished.

Acelynn smirked, nodding. "I can agree to that. Anything else?"

Tina paced, looking irritated but still cooperating. "You have to tell John."

Melanie pointed her finger in Acelynn's direction. "Yes! That, too! Sooner rather than later."

Acelynn looked to her feet, running the idea over in her mind. She had to tell her husband her suspicions. No doubt he would think she was crazy? Was she? No, she knew Candice had an ulterior motive. Candice herself had made that very clear in their last meeting. For John to believe her, she would need evidence that wasn't merely speculation. To get that, she was going to need Tina and Mel. Tina and Mel would only help her if she told John.

It looked like she had no real choice.

"I guess I have to say yes," she nodded. "Yeah, okay."

Acelynn turned her back on them, feeling their smug smiles cut through her as she made her way into the kitchen. The back door handle began to jiggle, and Tina and Melanie were quickly at Acelynn's elbows. "No time like the present, huh?" Tina smiled.

Acelynn stole her arms away from her friends as they tried to lead her to the door. She twisted away from them, receding from the door. "I'm going to tell him…" she instructed, retreating as her friends chased her.

"Now," Melanie informed, raising her eyebrows. "You're going to tell him now."

The handle jiggled again, the door giving way in its frame as John walked through the portal. Acelynn smiled at him, waving her hand to greet him before turning back to the two girls. "I believe I have to talk to my husband, ladies. If you'd be so obliging as to get out of my house…"

"Fine," Tina frowned, realizing it was a joke but still acting offended.

"Come on, Christina. Let's go plan some CSI," Mel announced, watching John enter and settle himself. She leaned in to Tina, linking arms with her as she passed John and exited. " Some _Candice's Scandalousness Investigation_, that is."

Acelynn's stomach turned, John approaching her and pressing his lips against her cheek. "Hey, babe," he smiled, pulling away from her. "What were those two whispering about?"

She waved her hand in the air. "Nothing… something…"

- - - - - -

John had turned and was on his way up the stairs. He stopped, mid step, and pivoted back to face her. "Like what?" It was the way she said it that made him stop and direct his full attention to her. His muscles were aching from a particularly hard day at the gym, and he desperately wanted to shower. Her tone, the look in her eyes, made his legs freeze in place, however. Something was up. Something he wasn't going to like.

"Well… you see…"

"Ace, come on," he coaxed, wanting the moment to be over so he could retreat to the bathroom. Her shoulders sagged, her hands on her hips. She dropped her head to her chin, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. He recognized the look. "Aw, Ace, what'd you do?"

She just shook her head again. "It's not _that_ bad…" she started. "And I didn't necessarily _do_ anything. I just went to talk to Candice and…we had an _interesting_ conversation."

John rolled his head on his neck, directing his gaze to the ceiling. "About what?"

"You. And me. And her. And the whole… _work_ thing."

He didn't like how she was emphasizing words. She only did that when she had something to confess, which meant that she had been sticking her nose where it didn't belong. He rolled his eyes at her, nonverbally telling her that he was going to run out of patience with the situation if she didn't move it along.

She sighed, still staring at her feet. "Remember before the last show, when I was late to the ring? Remember how you said you thought you should lock me in the bathroom? Well… I'm glad you let me run off."

John realized that, by the way she was dancing around whatever it was she had to tell him, he was not going to get his shower any time soon. He sat down on the step where his foot had landed, lowering himself using the banister for support. His rested his forearms on his knees, then gestured with his hands for her to continue.

"We shared some banter back and forth… and well... I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page." She fidgeted in her spot, twisting the tip of her shoe into the floor.

"And what page would that be, Ace?"

She looked at him then, her eyes glistening. She was on the verge of tears, but he could tell they were only there to so he might pity her. Or maybe not. He wasn't quite sure about these near-tears. "I lied to you when I said Randy never told me anything," she confessed, taking a step towards him. She pulled at her fingers, the wedding ring on her finger getting tighter and tighter. "He told me what Candice said before the wedding, outside on the sidewalk. She was trying to psych you out, JC. I wanted to find out why she said the things she did, and that's what she basically told me."

John arched his eyebrows, his head resting in his hand. "Verbatim?"

"It was in the context. She did tell me that she was interested in stealing you away from me, though. Verbatim."

John rolled his eyes again, sighing and casting one long, last look towards the top of the stairs. He patted the stair next to him, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as Acelynn conform into his side. Her near-tears were real. She was genuinely distressed. "Why does that bother you so much? Ace, I just married you. It's not time to trade in for a new model yet…"

She scowled at him, her eyes wide.

"Okay, maybe we can't laugh about this just yet."

"No," she snapped, "we can't."

"I love you, Ace. You should know that by now."

She shook her head, her hair falling about her shoulders. She rested the back of her head on his collarbone, her palm grazing his knee. "I do know, but it doesn't seem like _she _knows…"

John scoffed. "She doesn't have to know! I love you, Ace. _You_."

She fell silent, as if choosing her next words carefully. He waited for her to select, only squeezing her closer to him when he couldn't bare the silence anymore. "It's just…" she stuttered, covering her hands with her face. "You just make me question it all the time."

"I do?"

"You were fussing with your tie. Randy told me, you were freaking out on the alter. You were having second thoughts…"

"Whoa, whoa!" He slowed, taking her chin in his hand and guiding her face towards his. "I wasn't having second thoughts, Ace. I was scared. A nervous scared. A _good_ scared. And the friggin' tie was on too tight."

Acelynn let out a small laugh before wiping the tears from her eyes before they got a chance to run down her cheek. "You sure?"

"Ace, they only way I wouldn't have married you that day is if that tie suffocated me to death. Nothing Candice said would have ever…"

Before he could finish his sentence, she had sprung up from her seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. Burying his face in his wife's hair, smelling the sweat strawberry shampoo she used, he smiled widely. He did love her. But, somehow, the word "love" couldn't encompass the feelings he had for her.

Plus, if he agreed with her and made her feel like her drama was no big deal to him, he could get to his shower sooner and soothe his contracting muscles.

His hand found the side of her neck, guiding her face back so he look her square in the eye. "Feel better now," he asked.

She shook her head. "A little, but… there's still…"

"So much drama," John mocked, rolling his eyes.

Acelynn smiled. "Only until I sort this out. Somehow, I think there's someone else behind this. Someone with the last name McMahon."

John couldn't help but smile back at her. "Somehow, there always is," he agreed.

"I just don't understand, though. I mean, why would…"

John kissed her on the forehead before moving to stand. "There's always a reason to the madness, Ace. Some stupid, cock and bull reason that isn't always visible to both parties involved. The most you can do to find out is ask."

Acelynn squinted, watching her husband climb the stairs towards their bedroom. Was it all that simple? Was it the answer to all the problems she'd been having for the past couple of weeks? Could all the drama be stopped with a single question?

"Well, Ace," Acelynn spoke out loud to herself, "there's only one way to find out."


End file.
